Introduction:
An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 rocked western Sumatra Island in Indonesia last December 26, 2004. The earthquake caused a devastating tsunami that brought great destructions and affected most of the countries surrounding Indian Ocean and parts of Southeast Asia. Many lives were lost and most of the infrastructures and agricultural fields along the coast of these countries were destroyed. Many elements of nature such as mangrove forests and coral reefs were badly damaged. Ecological balance was severely affected.
A few years before the tsunami struck Indian Ocean, the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth’s Interior (IASPEI) and the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) working group on Subduction Zones Located in Developing Countries have already been planning to hold a workshop on tsunami studies. The 2004 tsunami tragedy highlighted the need to develop technical capabilities on tsunami modeling as a highly needed capability in the field of tsunami hazard assessment. Very few institutions in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean are skilled in making their own tsunami modeling, whose results can help them estimate tsunami height, inundation and arrival time information, which are important for warning and planning realistic evacuation routes.
Although various meetings and tsunami conferences were held in different parts of the world after the 2004 tragedy, discussions mostly dealt on policy issues and relief operations and rehabilitation. Many of the attendees in these conferences and meetings were policy makers, administrators, government officials and high-level scientific officials.
The working group driven by the opportunity to help other organizations to understand the science of tsunami will try to address the need to develop capability for conducting tsunami modeling. This will be done in collaboration with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (ITSU), and the IOC International Tsunami Information Centre ( ITIC). The official title is: “The International Workshop on Numerical Modeling of Tsunami for Developing Countries in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and Indian Ocean”. It will be held on 7-19 November 2005 at PHIVOLCS Building, Quezon City, Philippines. During the 10-day workshop, each participant will be taught how to model tsunami propagation, run up and inundation. They will undergo series of lectures and hands-on computer exercises under the supervision of world-renowned experts on tsunami modeling.
Target:
This international workshop target young research scientists who have an active role in tsunami research in their respective countries.
Course Objective:
To provide the participants in ten days time the opportunity to acquire knowledge in the field of tsunami numerical modeling and to equip them with necessary skills to carry out a tsunami mitigation research in their home institutions upon their return.
Modes of Instruction:
The international workshop brings together different people from countries all over Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean involved in tsunami hazards and mitigation studies. Participants are encouraged to present a country report of the current status of their research with respect to earthquake and tsunami (if any).
To make the exercises truly useful, the selected participants are encouraged to bring bathymetric and seismic data for their respective regions. The workshop is also designed in such a way that when the participants go back to their respective countries they should be able to start numerical modeling of tsunami with very minimal resources available.
A substantial part of the workshop takes the form of series of hands-on computer exercises based on the software that the experts have developed.
All lecture and hands-on materials will be copied in the CD for future use at the home institution. Software developed by the experts will be distributed among the participants at the end of the workshop.
Due to high mathematical and analytical requirement of the course, prospective participants should have a strong mathematical capability and skills.
Experts:
List of experts, including a short background of their scientific work will be included in the Letters of Invitation that will be released in October 2005.
The training will be taught by Dr. Yuichiro Taniako, Hokkaido University, Japan and Dr. Modesto Ortiz, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Mexico
Scientific Program:
The final scientific program and module will be included in the Invitations that will be released in October 2005. A tentative program is attached here.
Funding:
Financial assistance (airfare and daily subsistence allowance) is to be provided to a limited number of deserving participants/ young scientists who will be selected from Southeast Asia. Meanwhile a limited number of fellowships are available from the International Tsunami Information Centre ( ITIC) for participants coming from countries the Pacific and the surrounding Indian Ocean.
Requirements:
Nominated research scientists by their organization/institution may submit their Curriculum Vitae (CV) and the enclosed participant’s data sheet to the Scientific Program Committee at suzlodec@yahoo.com or at maximo_phivolcs@yahoo.co.uk
The Scientific Program Committee of the LOC will screen the participants based on the following criteria:
- must possess high level of mathematical and analytical skills;
- good command of the English language;
- graduate of any of the following courses: Math, Physics, Earth Sciences, Oceanography, Computer Science and Engineering Sciences;
- they must be actively involved in tsunami risk mitigation efforts in their home countries.
Accepted participants are required to bring their own laptop computers, which will be used during the exercises. It should have at least Windows 2000 or Windows XP Pentium III operating system and must be equipped with LAN card or Ethernet card for networking.
Local Organizing Committee:
- Chairperson: Mr. Raymond Patrick Maximo
- Vice-Chairperson: Dr. Leonila Bautista
- Members: Dr. Jane Punongbayan Ms. Ma. Isabel Abigania
- Ms. Mylene Villegas Ms. Lowella De Guzman
- Ms. Perla Delos Reyes Ms. Joan Salcedo
- Mr. Ruel Quijano Mr. Edgardo Balbuena
- Mr. Jeffery Perez Mr. Erlinton Olavere
- Ms. Imelda Guanio Ms. Esmeralda Banganan
- Mr. Robert Tiglao Mr. Lito Lanuza
- Ms. Vilma Hernandez Ms. Myla Panol
Scientific Program Committee Head: Mr. Ishmael Narag
Technical Advisers: Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr.
Dr. Bartolome C. Bautista
IASPEI Officers: SZLDC Officers:
President: E.Robert Engdahl ( USA) President: Sri Widiyantoro ( Indonesia)
First Vice-President: Wu Zhongliang ( China) Vice-President: Jorge Clavero ( Chile)
Second Vice-President: Gregory A. Houseman ( UK) Secretary: Raymond Maximo ( Philippines)
Secretary-General / Treasurer: Peter Suhadolc ( Italy)
ITSU:
Chair: Dr. Francois Schindele ( France)
Vice-Chair: Dr. Charles McCreery, PTWC Director ( USA)
ITIC :
Director: Dr. Laura S. L. Kong ( USA)
Associate Director: Emilio Lorca (Chile)
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