TIME: 3:30 PM

LOCATION: GMCS 314

SPEAKER: Ignacio Sepulveda, San Diego State University, Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

ABSTRACT: This presentation highlights three distinct contributions to tsunami science and hazard assessment. First, I present results from recent research linking dispersive tsunami wave trains visible in satellite imagery to evidence of earthquake rupture occurring near the trench in subduction zones. By analyzing tsunami dispersion in the near-source wave field, this approach provides a new observational footprint for constraining source processes, that improves resolving-power near the trench compared with traditional seismic, geodetic and tsunami sensing technologies. Second, I describe an instrument-deployment effort in which a multi-participant field response was coordinated to measure tsunami waves within a tidal estuary for the 2026 Kamchatka tsunami. I summarize the campaign design, logistics, measurement strategy, and key observational outcomes relevant to tsunami behavior in confined channels and tidally influenced environments. Third, I introduce the TRIDENT model (Tides and Rivers Influencing the Dynamic Evolution of Nearshore Tsunamis), a modeling framework that couples tsunami dynamics with tides and river discharge to simulate wave transformation, currents, and inundation in estuaries and tidal channels. I outline the governing physics, numerical approach, and hazard-relevant questions the model is designed to address, including the sensitivity of inundation and flow hazards to background water level and currents induced by tides and rivers. Collectively, these studies demonstrate complementary advances – from remote sensing discovery, to field deployment, to coupled-modeling for hazard prediction – that expand the toolkit for understanding and assessing tsunami hazards and risks.

HOST: Jose Castillo