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Approaches for tsunami risk assessment and application to the city of Cádiz, Spain

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Abstract

Tsunamis can represent a significant risk to the population and cause huge economic damage in many costal regions. In order to be able to identify risk hot spots and implement targeted risk reduction measures, decision makers need to have a clear picture of the risk situation in their countries or regions. This work reviews existing approaches for tsunami risk assessment and recommends a five-step process for assessing tsunami risk. As a case study, a qualitative risk assessment for a worst-case tsunami scenario was carried out to understand the tsunami risk to the population in Cádiz. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis of the tsunami hazard input parameters was performed as a strong influence of the variability of the input parameters on the resultant tsunami hazard and risk zonation maps was observed. The study shows that regardless of the assumptions made a non-negligible tsunami risk to Cádiz exists.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the European Union 6th Framework Programme Project TRANSFER in the frame of which this work was performed and funded.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027, Ispra, VA, Italy

    R. Jelínek & E. Krausmann

  2. Ocean and Coastal Research Group, Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental ‘IH Cantabria’, Universidad de Cantabria, E.T.S.I. Caminos Canales y Puertos, Avda de los Castros s/n, 39005, Santander, Spain

    M. González

  3. Instituto Geográfico Nacional, C/General Ibáñez Ibero, n°3, 28003, Madrid, Spain

    J. A. Álvarez-Gómez

  4. Institute for Environment and Human Security, United Nations University, Bonn, Germany

    J. Birkmann & T. Welle

Authors
  1. R. Jelínek
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  2. E. Krausmann
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  3. M. González
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  4. J. A. Álvarez-Gómez
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  5. J. Birkmann
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  6. T. Welle
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Correspondence to R. Jelínek.

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Jelínek, R., Krausmann, E., González, M. et al. Approaches for tsunami risk assessment and application to the city of Cádiz, Spain. Nat Hazards 60, 273–293 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-011-0009-0

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