A COMPERATIVE STUDY OF RUNUP HEIGHTS BY WINTER STORM WAVES AND POTENTIAL TSUNAMIS ON THE SEA OF JAPAN COAST

Abstract

 Coastal and harbor structures on the Sea of Japan coast are mainly designed for winter storm waves, but there is a significant risk of tsunami disasters. In recent years, tsunami prevention/mitigation measures have been in progress by local governments based on potential tsunami sources identified by the Japanese government. Since the tsunami magnitude varies significantly along the coastline, it is required to examine if existing structures work against tsunamis as well. This study estimates run-up heights by winter storm waves (seas and swells) and tsunamis and compares them along the long coastline to discuss the dominance of the two forcing factors. The overview of the run-up heights suggests that the Sea of Japan coast can be roughly divided into three segments depending on the relative significance of the two factors.