A Comprehensive Sensitivity Analysis of Tsunami Model System to the Parametric and Input Uncertainties

Abstract

In the present study, it is examined the tsunami modelling sensitivity to the various input factors based on the simulation results of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The numerical tests were implemented using coupled shallow water equation model, COMCOT(Liu et al., 1998) and Boussinesq model(Son et al., 2011) on the multi-grid system. Four different configurations(CASE 1 through 4) where three factors were controlled independently had been set up and simulated. From the numerical results, it was examined that some of defined factors may have control over the level of prediction accuracy in tsunami impacts on the nearshore area. It was shown that hydrodynamic performances calculated by Boussinesq model(Son et al., 2011) were very distinct from those by COMCOT-only. Most importantly, this study also suggests that more thorough and dedicated investigations on the diffusive errors embedded inherently in numerical models are required for the future study.