Three Stromboli Eruptions in Italy Compared With Lab Experiments: Models Overestimate Volcanic-Flow Tsunami Size
A. Bougouin and colleagues published a study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans that made the first direct comparison between laboratory experiments and field observations of volcanic-flow tsunamis. The study volcano was Stromboli Island, Italy, which erupts nearly constantly, with volcanic flows frequently entering the sea and forming tsunamis, recorded by a monitoring system of land-based cameras and offshore wave gauges.
The researchers focused on three Stromboli eruptions that triggered tsunamis between 2019 and 2021, comparing observations with results from existing and newly conducted laboratory experiments. In the lab, the team used a 7-metre-long, 20-centimetre-wide channel filled with water and released polystyrene beads down a slope designed to replicate Stromboli's flank, representing pyroclastic flows.
The researchers found that lab experiments cannot be directly scaled up to predict real-world events and that most models based on these experiments overestimate the size of tsunamis in the field. The new experiments reproduced key features observed at Stromboli, including a three-wave pattern, and broadly captured the energy transfer from the flow to the resulting wave train. The team said the work is an initial step toward improving volcanic tsunami hazard assessment, with some limitations remaining.
Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图中是意大利 Stromboli 火山的一次喷发，该火山是本研究对照观测的对象。来源：Wikimedia Commons, File:Stromboli Eruption.jpg, Wolfgang Beyer, CC BY-SA 3.0。
