Government inefficiency places people in coastal zones at risk from tsunamis

October 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - US seismologists have found evidence that the massive 2004 earthquake that triggered killer tsunamis throughout the Indian Ocean weakened at least a portion of California's famed San Andreas Fault, which suggests that large quakes can weaken fault zones worldwide. The results suggest that the Earth's largest earthquakes can weaken fault zones worldwide and may trigger periods of increased global seismic activity.

September 15th, 2009 LONDON - Some of the world's top geologists have warned that if global temperatures continue to rise, Britain might see deadly tsunamis like those that have hit Asia, head towards it in the future. According to a report by Sky News, geologists have warned of tsunamis in Britain to huge avalanches in the Alps and volcanic eruptions in Germany, if global warming continues to rise.

August 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An ocean-drilling expedition in Japan has come across new evidence related to the origin and evolution of earthquakes. The expedition is being conducted as part of the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE), which is long-term scientific ocean-drilling project conducted by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP).

July 17th, 2009 LONDON - Just half an hour after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the southwest coast of New Zealand on July 15, a scientist demonstrated a precise simulation of a tsunami that would generate as a result of the quake. Just as the quake struck at 21:22 local time, 90 leading tsunami researchers in Novosibirsk, Russia - six time zones west of New Zealand - were concluding a conference session.

July 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Expansion of coastal cities is accompanied by a decline in the quality of life of the people, says a new study. Many megacities such as Tokyo (population 36 million), New York (22 million) and London (12 million) are found in the coastal zone.

July 11th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A new study has determined that Pakistan is among those countries whose coastal areas are at risk from both local and regional tsunamis. According to a report in The Daily Times, officials at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Pakistan, carried out the study.

July 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has ranked 'hotspots' among coastal marine ecosystems that are at risk worldwide as a result of human activities. The study, by scientists at UC (University of California) Santa Barbara, US, is the first integrated analysis of all coastal areas of the world.

July 9th, 2009 LONDON - A new study is going to determine the archaeological sites along the coast of England which are most at risk from the impacts of climate change. The effects of climate change, including rising sea level and coastal erosion, as well as other factors such as coastal development and shoreline management initiatives, constantly threaten archaeological sites along the coast of England.

June 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA), UK, has determined that coral reefs throughout the Caribbean have been comprehensively 'flattened' over the last 40 years. The collapse of reef structure has serious implications for biodiversity and coastal defences - a double whammy for fragile coastal communities in the region.

April 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has refuted the hypothesis that 'chevrons', large U- or V-shaped formations found in some of the world's coastal areas, are evidence of megatsunamis caused by asteroids or comets slamming into the ocean. The research was done by University of Washington (UW) geologist and tsunami expert Jody Bourgeois.

April 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Geoscientists have said that the 2007 Solomon Island earthquake may point to previously unknown increased earthquake and tsunami risks because of the unusual tectonic plate geography and the sudden change in direction of the earthquake. On April 1, 2007, a tsunami-generating earthquake of magnitude 8.1 occurred East of Papua New Guinea off the coast of the Solomon Islands.

April 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at Newcastle University, UK, have worked out a mathematical formula that could be used to give advance warning of where a tsunami is likely to hit and how destructive it will be. The research, led by Newcastle University's Professor Robin Johnson, was prompted by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami disaster which devastated coastal communities in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

February 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - More than 80 percent of the world's major conflicts have taken place in the the most biologically rich and diverse places on earth, a new study says. These hotspots are considered top conservation priorities because they house more than half of all plant species and at least 42 percent of all vertebrates, and are highly threatened.

February 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An earthquake with a magnitude of at least seven on the Richter scale shook the northern portion of Indonesia's Sulawesi island Wednesday. The quake at a depth of 35 km near the Talaud islands between Sulawesi and the southern Philippines occurred at 1734 GMT, the US Geological Survey said.

January 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Unchecked global warming is causing dead zones or low-oxygen areas in oceans, threatening the very survival of fish, crabs and clams, according to a Danish study. In shallow coastal regions, these zones can be caused by runoff of excess fertilisers from farming.