| Title |
Proposal of a Korean-Specific Integrated Tsunami Intensity (K-ITI) Combining Maximum Tsunami Height and Current Speed |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.12652/Ksce.2026.46.3.0219 |
| Keywords |
지진해일; 통합지진해일강도; 최대 지진해일 높이; 최대유속; COMCOT Tsunamis; Integrated tsunami intensity; Maximum tsunami height; Maximum current speed; COMCOT |
| Abstract |
Tsunamis can severely damage ports, coastal structures, vessels, and urban infrastructure through amplified wave heights and current speeds near coasts; however, conventional hazard assessments based primarily on maximum water level and inundation depth inadequately capture current-driven impacts. This study proposes the Korean-Specific Integrated Tsunami Intensity (K-ITI), a four-class (1?4) index that combines maximum tsunami height and maximum current speed, designed to map directly onto Korea's four-tier national crisis alert system. K-ITI assigns each coastal grid cell the higher of the two class levels determined independently by wave height and current speed, thereby capturing current-driven hazards that conventional water-level-only assessments may overlook. To evaluate the proposed index, limitations of existing domestic velocity observation networks for tsunami-current validation are first examined. The COMCOT model is then validated against water-level and current-speed records at Crescent City Harbor during the 2011 Tohoku tsunami, and subsequently applied to the 1983 Central East Sea, 1993 Hokkaido Nansei-Oki, and 2024 Noto Peninsula tsunamis to derive K-ITI maps along the Korean east coast. Results reveal localized areas, particularly within harbors, where current amplification elevates K-ITI classes beyond what water-level criteria alone would indicate, thereby exposing vulnerabilities overlooked by conventional assessments. These findings demonstrate that K-ITI, when mapped onto existing warning levels and embedded in an operational framework, can serve as a practical integrated tsunami hazard indicator for Korea and contribute to regional tsunami risk assessment across the Northwest Pacific. |