Description
The movies show the tsunami of December 2002 around the Stromboli island and its physical model at the Coastal Engineering Laboratory (LIC) of the Water Engineering Dpt. of Bari technical University (Italy). The research program was aimed at improving the knowledge of tsunami waves hydraulics generated by landslides. The generation process, the wave propagation, the interaction with the boundary of the domain of interest, focusing on wave run-up and overtopping will be studied in details. Tsunami waves are non periodic water free surface perturbations of high period; they are able to produce disasters when reaching the coast or the structures. Focusing on what happened in Italy in the last 100 years three occurrence of tsunami are worth to be mentioned. These are the tsunami that in 1908 killed 120.000 people at Messina, the Vajont dam disaster (2.000 people killed) and the very recent tsunami (December 2002) around the Stromboli island. Vertical landslide generated wave SPH numerical modeling The forecasting of tsunami and of their effects need joint efforts in the fields of geophysics, geology, geothechnics and hydraulics. As far as the Italian research is concerned only few, although valuable, contributions have been provided in the last years in the field of hydraulics. To improve the knowledge on this important topic, since 1998, thanks to the funding of the National Dams Authority of the Italian Government, researchers of the University of L’Aquila, University of Roma TRE, Tor Vergata and “La Sapienza”, started to study tsunami waves. Experimental, numerical and analytical studies have since now been carried out in order to provide practical tools for wave parameters forecasting. The present program originates from the experience on this important field and from the need of further developing the studies carried out until now. More specifically the research will aim at developing simple formulae based on experimental results, able to forecast wave parameters, wave run-up and wave overtopping. Numerical models shall be developed in order to simulate the hydrodynamics of the near-field (using a three-dimensional SPH model) and the flow in the far-field (three depth-integrated models shall be developed). The important cases of tsunami waves along a straight coast and around a conical island will be studied in large scale physical models. In order to provide a unified theoretical framework for the wave impulse two analytical theories for wave generation, propagation and run-up will be developed. Finally a feasibility study and a preliminary design of a tsunami real-time warning system based on the Italian tidal network will be carried out. It is finally believed that the results of the project will be of interest to any authority dedicated to the management of water environments such as the coastal regions, artificial reservoirs and lakes.
