Resonance of 2011 East Japan Tsunami over Continental Shelf along Ibaraki Coast of Japan

Abstract

From the wavelet analyses of the tsunami waveforms of the 2011 East Japan Tsunami measured at several stations it is found that the tsunami waves are resonated at the coast of Tokai-Daini nuclear power plant in Ibaraki bay of Japan. For the investigation of this phenomenon numerical simulations are conducted. From the numerical simulations it is understood that the trapping of incidence tsunamis due to the concave shape of the bay and the continental shelf near the entrance of the bay are responsible for the resonance of tsunami waves. The reflections of tsunami waves from land boundaries outside the Ibaraki bay contribute also to the long-lasting tsunami behavior in this bay.