Tsunami! One of Nature’s Most Destructive and Fearsome Events:
Could It Happen to Us?
Malcolm Bowman is Professor of Physical Oceanography and Distinguished Service Professor in Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. He is the Founding Director of the Stony Brook Storm Surge Research Group, Distinguished Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, President of the Stony Brook Environmental Conservancy, and Director of the Environmental Defence Society (NZ). He currently serves on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s New York Panel on Climate Change, which advises the Mayor, the City Council, and city agencies on mitigation and adaptation measures for the protection of the City against the anticipated threats of climate change.
The tsunami (translation “harbor wave”) following the March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the northeastern coast Japan has led to widespread destruction, loss of life, exposure to nuclear fallout, and untold human misery. This presentation will discuss the causes, properties, and propagation of tsunami across the world’s oceans, and why are they so fearsome.
Do future tsunami created by earthquakes in the Atlantic Ocean basin pose serious risks to the eastern seaboard of North America? If so, are there adequate warning systems in place comparable to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu? If not, why not?
This Provost’s Lecture, co-sponsored by The Japan Center and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, will be held on Wednesday, March 30, from 12:50 pm to 2:00 pm in the Javits Center, Room 110.
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