24. Tsunami sedimentology
The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 increased awareness worldwide of tsunamis as natural hazards. Tsunami scientists from many nations responded rapidly to this event. USGS scientists joined in this effort and are continuing to work with tsunami scientists from South and Southeast Asia. Regional tsunami hazard assessments depend on coastal paleoseismology as well as a blend of offshore mapping to characterize potential tsunami sources, nearshore and onland elevation mapping to develop and constrain tsunami inundation models, and identification and mapping of preserved tsunami deposits to assess past event frequencies and size of major tsunamis.
In the United States, where tsunamis have already killed hundreds of people and caused more than $500 million of damage, it is likely that in the future large tsunamis will strike the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. The USGS works closely with partners at NOAA, FEMA, other federal and state agencies, and academia through the interagency National Tsunami Hazard Reduction Program (NTHMP), a focused effort to provide comprehensive tsunami hazard assessments of U.S. coastlines. The USGS also has conducted research on the geologic record of tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest for more than 15 years.
This postdoctoral research opportunity will require intergrated studies on tsunami hydrodynamics and sediment transport. The approach will be to use a combination of field, laboratory, and modeling studies to improve the understanding of tsunami dynamics and nearshore modification, tsunami inundation, and tsunami sediment transport. This research will build on the rich data sets of modern and paleo-tsunami deposit characteristics. The postdoctoral researcher will be encouraged to collect new data in the field or laboratory as well as to use existing data sets.
Research projects might address:
- Developing the relationships between tsunami deposit characteristics (for example, deposit thickness, vertical and horizontal trends in grain size) and tsunami inundation (flow depth, inundation distances, tsunami height decrease inland, wave period).
- Application or development of three-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic/sediment transport modeling of tsunami inundation and deposition.
- Developing the relationships between tsunami deposit characteristics and seafloor displacement (that is,rupture width for earthquake generated tsunamis) and distance from generation area.
- Interpretation of sand and boulder deposits to determine tsunami versus storm origin.
Candidates field of expertise can be varied but could include: sedimentology, geomorphology, sediment transport/hydrodynamic modeling, and oceanography. The successful postdoctoral fellow would be at the forefront of integrated, collaborative research discovering and quantifying linkages between tsunami hydrodynamics and tsunami sedimentation.
Proposed Duty Station: Santa Cruz, CA or Menlo Park, CA or Seattle, WA
Areas of Ph.D.: Sedimentology, geomorphology, sediment transport/hydrodynamic modeling, oceanography
Qualifications: Applicants must meet one of the following qualifications: Research Oceanographer, Research Geologist
(This type of research is performed by those who have backgrounds for the occupations stated above. However, other titles may be applicable depending on the applicant’s background, education, and research proposal. The final classification of the position will be made by the Human Resources specialist.)
Research Advisor(s): Bruce Jaffe, (831) 427-4742, bjaffe@usgs.gov; Guy Gelfenbaum, (650) 329-5483, ggelfenbaum@usgs.gov; Eric Geist, (650) 329-5457, egeist@usgs.gov; Brian Atwater, (206) 553-2927, atwater@usgs.gov; Vasily Titov, (206) 526-4536, vasily.titov@noaa.gov
Human Resources Office contact: Erica Settlemyer, (916) 278-9383, esettlemyer@usgs.gov
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Summary of Opportunities |