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    • NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, 2100 BC to Present

    Metadata Updated: September 13, 2024

    The Global Historical Tsunami Database provides information on over 2,400 tsunamis from 2100 BC to the present in the the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans; and the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. The database includes two related files. The first file includes information on the tsunami source such as the date, time, and location of the source event; cause and validity of the source, tsunami magnitude and intensity; maximum water height; the total number of fatalities, injuries, houses destroyed, and houses damaged; and total damage estimate (in U.S. dollars). The second related file contains information on the runups (the locations where tsunami waves were observed by eyewitnesses, reconnaissance surveys, tide gauges, and deep-ocean sensors) such as name, location, arrival time, maximum water height and inundation distance, and socio-economic data (deaths, injuries, damage) for the specific runup location.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date September 10, 2024
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date September 13, 2024
    Reference Date(s) January 1, 1974 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NGDC MGG Hazards WAF

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Maps showing tsunami events and tsunami runups and locations.

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date September 10, 2024
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date September 13, 2024
    Reference Date(s) January 1, 1974 (publication)
    Responsible Party DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.ngdc.mgg.hazards:G02151
    Category Tag 16E15F51 D96E 4051 9124 75665Abdc6Ff ["WWHGD","Coastal Flooding"]
    Access Constraints Cite as: National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7 [access date], Access to this dataset is unrestricted., While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
    Bbox East Long 180
    Bbox North Lat 71
    Bbox South Lat -63
    Bbox West Long -180
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview Description Maps showing tsunami events and tsunami runups and locations.
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/icons/tsunamis.jpg
    Graphic Preview Type jpg
    Harvest Object Id a70db297-c94a-41d3-8d71-a845bc92a272
    Harvest Source Id 7b37b703-805c-4a27-b47f-d471f07b5ed7
    Harvest Source Title NGDC MGG Hazards WAF
    Licence
    Lineage First computerized tsunami database started in 1970s with ascii files with descriptions that were separate to eventually searchable ascii and finally databases. In 1980s, NGDC began compilation of quantitative tsunami data from all available catalogs and special studies of tsunamis. In the 1908s the original database only covered the Pacific. The current NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database includes two related tables: global observations of tsunami sources and tsunami runup records (locations where tsunami waves were observed by eyewitnesses, field reconnaissance surveys, tide gauges or deep-ocean sensors). The historical database incorporates, where available, maximum tsunami wave heights for each coastal tide gauge and deep-ocean buoy that recorded a tsunami signal. The database is now updated regularly from sources such as NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers, NOAA National Data Buoy Center, NOAA National Ocean Service, UNESCO/IOC-NOAA International Tsunami Information Center, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey, national and government databases and reports, tsunami catalogs, post-event reconnaissance reports, journal articles, newspapers, internet sources, email, and other written documents.
    Metadata Language eng; USA
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-180.0, -63.0], [180.0, -63.0], [180.0, 71.0], [-180.0, 71.0], [-180.0, -63.0]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin -2100

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