Risk and Avoidance - Tsunami - page 191

Fig. 10.1 Drawing of a tsunami
breaking on the Japanese coast.
The drawing probably represents
the September 1, 1923 Tsunami,
which affected Sagami Bay
following the Great Tokyo
Earthquake. While this
earthquake is noted for its
subsequent fires and appalling
death toll, it generated a tsunami
11 m in height around the bay.
The drawing is by Walter Molino
and appeared in La Domenica del
Corriere, January 5, 1947.
Source Mary Evans Picture
Library Image No. 10040181/04

Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) that has a sen-
sitive Operational Linescan System (OLS) that can detect
visible and near-infrared light sources of 9-10 W cm -2 .
One such global map—without the effect of fires—is pre-
sented in Fig. 10.3 a. It clearly shows that the developed
coastlines of the world lie in Western Europe, Japan, and
the eastern United States. This map does not take into
account recent growth of coastal cities. Second, the largest
coastal cities in the world require the greatest response
irrespective of their role in the global economy. These cities
are plotted in Fig. 10.3 b. Their populations are current to
the year 2013. Countries with the most cities over 10 mil-
lion people are China, India, the United States, and Japan.
Were a major tsunami to strike any of these urbanized

coasts, the impact would be severe. There are nine cities
with populations of over 15 million people. Four of these
are situated in poorly developed countries. Twenty-eight
cities have populations over 5 million inhabitants. It is only
a matter of time before one of our world's major cities is
crippled by a major tsunami.

10.2 What Locations Along a Coast Are

at Risk from Tsunami?

A perusal of the chapters in this topic will show that some
locations along a coast are more susceptible to tsunami run-
up, flooding, and inundation than others. Nine types of