NOAA/NCEI-WDS INTEGRATED TSUNAMI DATABASE: DATA FOR IMPROVED FORECASTS, WARNINGS, RESEARCH, AND RISK ASSESSMENTS

The U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) provides long-term archive, data management, and access to global tsunami data. The free and open access to historical tsunami information is key to supporting planning and decision-making in the fields of tsunami mitigation, warning and response. The NCEI’s online and searchable global historical tsunami database contains over 25,000 tsunami wave observations from over 2,300 tsunami events. Key partnerships and agreements among national and international governments and agencies are needed to preserve and improve the database. The database includes two related tables: global observations of tsunami sources and tsunami runup records (locations where tsunami waves were observed by eyewitnesses, field reconnaissance surveys, tide gauges, or deep-ocean sensors). Quality-controlling the historical data has been and will continue to be a priority for NCEI. More recently, the database’s robust and reliable historical tsunami runup data, known tsunami source zones, and limited geological data have facilitated the development of qualitative tsunami hazard assessments.