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Numerical modelling is a fundamental tool for scenario-based evaluation of hazardous phenomena such as tsunami. Nevertheless, the numerical prediction highly depends on the tool quality and therefore the design of efficient numerical schemes that provide robust and accurate solutions still receives considerable attention. In this paper, we implement two different second-order finite volume numerical schemes deriving from an a priori or an a posteriori limitation procedure and we compare their efficiency in solving the non-conservative shallow-water equations. The numerical schemes assessed here are two variants of the a priori Monotonic Upstream-Centred Scheme for Conservation Laws (MUSCL) and the recent a posteriori multidimensional optimal order detection (MOOD) technique. We benchmark the numerical code, equipped with MUSCL and MOOD techniques, against: (1) a 1-D stationary problem with non-constant bathymetry to assess the second-order convergence of the method when a smooth analytical solution is involved; (2) a 1-D dam-break test to show its capacity to deal with irregular and discontinuous bathymetry in wet zones; and (3) using a simple 1-D analytical tsunami benchmark, 'single wave on a sloping beach', we show that the classical 1-D shallow-water system can be accurately solved by the second-order finite volume methods. Furthermore, we test the performance of the numerical code for the real-case tsunami of Tohoku-Oki, 2011. Through a set of 2-D numerical simulations, the 2011 tsunami records from both DART and GPS buoys are checked against the simulated results using MUSCL and MOOD. We find that the use of the MOOD technique leads to a better approximation between the numerical solutions and the observations than the MUSCL one. MOOD allows sharper shock capture and generates less numerical diffusion, suggesting it as a promising technique for solving shallow-water problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Storm- and tsunami-deposits are generated by similar depositional mechanisms making their discrimination hard to establish using classic sedimentologic methods. Here we propose an original approach to identify tsunami-induced deposits by combining numerical simulation and rock magnetism. To test our method, we investigate the tsunami deposit of the Boca do Rio estuary generated by the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon which is well described in the literature. We first test the 1755 tsunami scenario using a numerical inundation model to provide physical parameters for the tsunami wave. Then we use concentration (MS, SIRM) and grain size (χ ARM, ARM, B1/2, ARM/SIRM) sensitive magnetic proxies coupled with SEM microscopy to unravel the magnetic mineralogy of the tsunami-induced deposit and its associated depositional mechanisms. In order to study the connection between the tsunami deposit and the different sedimentologic units present in the estuary, magnetic data were processed by multivariate statistical analyses. Our numerical simulation show a large inundation of the estuary with flow depths varying from 0.5 to 6m and run up of ∼7m. Magnetic data show a dominance of paramagnetic minerals (quartz) mixed with lesser amount of ferromagnetic minerals, namely titanomagnetite and titanohematite both of a detrital origin and reworked from the underlying units. Multivariate statistical analyses indicate a better connection between the tsunami-induced deposit and a mixture of Units C and D. All these results point to a scenario where the energy released by the tsunami wave was strong enough to overtop and erode important amount of sand from the littoral dune and mixed it with reworked materials from underlying layers at least 1m in depth. The method tested here represents an original and promising tool to identify tsunami-induced deposits in similar embayed beach environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Storm- and tsunami-deposits are generated by similar depositional mechanisms making their discrimination hard to establish using classic sedimentologic methods. Here we propose an original approach to identify tsunami-induced deposits by combining numerical simulation and rock magnetism. To test our method, we investigate the tsunami deposit of the Boca do Rio estuary generated by the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon which is well described in the literature. We first test the 1755 tsunami scenario using a numerical inundation model to provide physical parameters for the tsunami wave. Then we use concentration (MS, SIRM) and grain size (χ ARM, ARM, B1/2, ARM/SIRM) sensitive magnetic proxies coupled with SEM microscopy to unravel the magnetic mineralogy of the tsunami-induced deposit and its associated depositional mechanisms. In order to study the connection between the tsunami deposit and the different sedimentologic units present in the estuary, magnetic data were processed by multivariate statistical analyses. Our numerical simulation show a large inundation of the estuary with flow depths varying from 0.5 to 6m and run up of ∼7m. Magnetic data show a dominance of paramagnetic minerals (quartz) mixed with lesser amount of ferromagnetic minerals, namely titanomagnetite and titanohematite both of a detrital origin and reworked from the underlying units. Multivariate statistical analyses indicate a better connection between the tsunami-induced deposit and a mixture of Units C and D. All these results point to a scenario where the energy released by the tsunami wave was strong enough to overtop and erode important amount of sand from the littoral dune and mixed it with reworked materials from underlying layers at least 1m in depth. The method tested here represents an original and promising tool to identify tsunami-induced deposits in similar embayed beach environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]