This metadata relates to the ANUGA hydrodynamic modelling results for Busselton, south-west Western Australia. The results consist of inundation extent and peak momentum gridded spatial data for each of the ten modelling scenarios. The scenarios are based on Tropical Cyclone (TC) Alby that impacted Western Australia in 1978 and the combination of TC Alby with a track and time shift, sea-level rise and riverine flood scenarios. The inundation extent defines grid cells that were identified as wet within each of the modelling scenarios. The momentum results define the maximum momentum value recorded for each inundated grid cell within each modelling scenario. Refer to the professional opinion (Coastal inundation modelling for Busselton, Western Australia, under current and future climate) for details of the project.

A multi-hazard and exposure analysis of Asia. A GIS study that incorporates regional data for: landslide, tsunami, earthquake, tropical cyclone, volcanic, drought and flood hazard.

Tropical Cyclone (TC) Yasi crossed Queensland's Cassowary Coast during the night of the 2nd and 3rd of February, 2011. The cyclone was forecast by BoM (2011) to be a severe storm with wind gusts forecast to exceed the design gust wind speeds for houses set out in AS4055. Following the passage of the cyclone, it was evident that the severe wind and large coastal storm surge had caused significant damage to the region's building stock. Geoscience Australia (GA), together with collaborators from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand (NIWA), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and Maddocks & Associates, undertook a survey of damage to the region's buildings caused by severe wind and storm surge.

This paper presents a model to assess bushfire hazard in south-eastern Australia. The model utilises climate model simulations instead of observational data. Bushfire hazard is assessed by calculating return periods of the McArthur Forest Fires Danger Index (FFDI). The return periods of the FFDI are calculated by fitting an extreme value distribution to the tail of the FFDI data. The results have been compared against a spatial distribution of bushfire hazard obtained by interpolation of FFDI calculated at a number of recording stations in Australia. The results show that climate simulations produce a similar pattern of bushfire hazard than the interpolated observations but the simulated values tend to be up to 60% lower than the observations. This study shows that the major source of error in the simulations is the values of wind speed. Observational wind speed is recorded at a point-based station whilst climate simulated wind speed is averaged over a grid cell. On the other hand FFDI calculation is very sensitive to wind speed and hence to improve the calculation of FFDI using climate simulations it is necessary to correct the bias observed in the simulations. A statistically-based procedure to correct the simulation bias has been developed in this project. Bias-corrected calculation of FFDI shows that the major bushfire hazard in south-eastern Australia is in the western parts of SA and NSW; and in south-western Tasmania.

Coastal communities in Australia are particularly exposed to disasters resulting from the coincidence of severe wind damage, storm surge, coastal flooding and shoreline erosion during cyclones and extra-tropical storms. Because the climatic drivers of these events are stronger during or across specific years (e.g. during La Nina periods), they can repeatedly impact the coast over periods of weeks, months or up to a few years. The consequences of individual events are therefore exacerbated with little or no opportunity for recovery of natural systems or communities. This poster summarises the objectives, approach and methodology for this storm surge project. A contribution to the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.

This document presents a new set of earthquake hazard maps for consideration in the next revision of the earthquake loading code AS1170.4 "Structural design actions: Part 4 Earthquake actions in Australia". The earthquake catalogue used here includes events up until 2011. It is a combined version of several catalogues provided by external agencies. This represents the most complete catalogue of earthquakes compiled for Australia. The catalogue is more consistent through conversion of various magnitude measurements into a 'pseudo ML' scale. A systematic logic is used to select preferred magnitude types. Aftershocks, foreshocks and mine blasts have been identified and the declustered catalogue used here is cleaner than any previous Australian catalogue. Earthquake source zones applied in the hazard map use a unique combination of three different layers, which capture seismic characteristics at sub-national, regional and high-activity point scales. The map is one of the first in the world to apply a semi-quantitative measure of Mmax for majority of the source zones in the map. We apply recently developed ground motion prediction equations based on modern methods and data. These equations were used to calculate the ground motion at a range of response spectral accelerations, rather than just calculating the hazard for peak ground acceleration (PGA). A suite of maps is calculated using GA's Earthquake Risk Model (EQRM). The EQRM is open-source, allowing the results to be tested or modified independently. The final 2012 Australian earthquake hazard maps for a range of return periods and response spectral periods are presented herein.

Stochastic finite-fault ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) are developed for the stable continental region of southeastern Australia (SEA). The models are based on reinterpreted source and attenuation parameters for small-to-moderate magnitude local earthquakes and a dataset augmented with ground-motion records from recent significant earthquakes. The models are applicable to horizontal-component ground-motions for earthquakes 4.0 <= MW <= 7.5 and at distances less than 400 km. The models are calibrated with updated source and attenuation parameters derived from SEA ground-motion data. Careful analysis of well-constrained earthquake stress parameters indicates a dependence on hypocentral depth. It is speculated that this is the effect of an increasing crustal stress profile with depth. However, rather than a continuous increase, the change in stress parameter appears to indicate a discrete step near 10 km depth. Average stress parameters for SEA earthquakes shallower and deeper than 10 km are estimated to be 23 MPa and 50 MPa, respectively. These stress parameters are consequently input into the stochastic ground-motion simulations for the development of two discrete GMPEs for shallow and deep events. The GMPEs developed estimate response spectral accelerations comparable to the Atkinson and Boore (2006) GMPE for eastern North America (ENA) at short rupture distances (less than approximately 100 km). However, owing to higher attenuation observed in the SEA crust (Allen and Atkinson, 2007), the SEA GMPEs estimate lower ground-motions than ENA models at larger distances. A correlation between measured VS30 and ?0 was developed from the limited data available to determine the average site condition to which the GMPEs are applicable. Assuming the correlation holds, a VS30 of approximately 820 m/s is obtained assuming an average path-independent diminution term ?0 of 0.006 s from SEA seismic stations. Consequently, the GMPE presented herein can be assumed to be appropriate for rock sites of B to BC site class in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP, 2003) site classification scheme. The response spectral models are validated against moderate-magnitude (4.0 <= MW <= 5.3) earthquakes from eastern Australia. Overall the SEA GMPEs show low median residuals across the full range of period and distance. In contrast, ENA models tend to overestimate response spectra at larger distances. Because of these differences, the present analysis justifies the need to develop Australian-specific GMPEs where ground-motion hazard from a distant seismic source may become important.

Tropical cyclone return period wind hazard layers developed using the Tropical Cyclone Risk Model. The hazard layers are derived from a catalogue of synthetic tropical cyclone events representing 10000 years of activity. Annual maxima are evaluated from the catalogue and used to fit a generalised extreme value distribution at each grid point.

Tsunamis are relatively rare in Australia and emergency managers rely on the sharing of information at national forums to assist them to manage the tsunami risk in their own jurisdiction. Emergency managers responsible for tsunami risk management across Australia recently identified the need for national consistency in tsunami hazard information and as a result, a project was initiated to develop national guidelines for tsunami hazard modelling. This presentation will outline the approach adopted to develop these guidelines, focusing on the collaboration of end-users and tsunami modelling practitioners. The guidelines were explicitly designed to facilitate appropriate standards of rigour and improved national consistency in tsunami hazard modelling, without dictating software choices or otherwise suppressing innovative practices (which will evolve over time in concert with improvements in tsunami science). The guidelines focused instead on providing guidance in designing a study suitable for the use-case being considered. Core issues included the treatment of uncertainties in tsunami generation, propagation and inundation modelling, and scenario return periods. Whilst the emergency managers proposed the development of these guidelines, the target audience included any agency would could commission tsunami hazard studies for a particular purpose (e.g. coastal infrastructure owners, insurance), as well as the tsunami modellers conducting such studies. The guidelines will also become a valuable resource for the tsunami modelling community. In many situations, tsunami modelling is conducted by coastal hazard modellers who may not have current understanding of Australia’s tsunami hazard.

University of Newcastle researchers captured media attention in 2017 with the release of a study modelling tsunami risk for the city of Sydney. The study considered a range of scenarios from minor disruptions through to rare, one-in-5000-year disasters. It’s possible the study made headlines in part for the novelty factor. This is not to say Australians are flippant about tsunamis; as a nation, we have grieved the traumatic impact of tsunamis in our region. We just don’t think it will happen to us. However, the science says otherwise. The historical and prehistorical record indicates that tsunamis have affected Australia in the past and could do so again. To Australia’s north and east lie thousands of kilometres of tectonic plate boundaries, where undersea earthquakes could generate tsunamis that reach Australia in a matter of hours. Given half the Australian population lives within 10 kilometres of a coastline – not to mention the scores of interstate and international visitors to our beaches – it’s imperative we take tsunami planning seriously. That’s why the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) partnered with the Australian Tsunami Advisory Group (ATAG) to revise and refresh national guidance for tsunami emergency planning in Australia. ATAG is the leading national group for tsunami capability development, bringing together the expertise of policymakers, scientists and emergency services practitioners from around Australia. The review produced the Tsunami Emergency Planning in Australia Handbook, an authoritative resource for emergency managers, local and state governments, port authorities and commercial operators in coastal areas. Replacing its 2010 predecessor, Manual 46: Tsunami Emergency Planning in Australia, the handbook was published on 5 November 2018 to mark the United Nations World Tsunami Awareness Day. In clear, accessible language, the handbook outlines the causes and characteristics of tsunamis, separating fact from fiction and highlighting key terms. It introduces planners to both ‘Marine Threat’ and ‘Land Inundation Threat’ – key categories in the tsunami warnings framework – and explores the corresponding planning considerations for coastal communities as well as more transitory ‘maritime’ communities – including fishers, boaters and swimmers. Maritime communities also encompass a range of commercial and government activities, including offshore oil and gas enterprises, military exercises and tourism. The handbook steps users through the responsibilities, processes and warning types that comprise the Australian Tsunami Warning System that was established by the Australian Government after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. ATAG has actively contributed to the management of tsunami risk by promoting research, knowledge management and education. In 2018, ATAG also partnered with AIDR to develop the Tsunami hazard modelling guidelines that represent the most up-to-date view of tsunami hazard nationally. A key companion to the revised handbook, the guidelines present a principles-based approach to developing tsunami hazard information for different purposes; from emergency management to infrastructure development and insurance. The guidelines don’t dictate the use of a particular software; they ask questions to support cooperative approaches between scientists and end users. As for the handbook, stakeholder consultation was key to the development of the Tsunami hazard modelling guidelines. Geoscience Australia, an ATAG member, led the process in partnership with public and private sector representatives and with Commonwealth funding support through Emergency Management Australia. The guidelines emerged from a community-driven development process that engaged different end users and recognised the impact of a range of factors on modelling approaches and decisions (such as the use case and available data). A workshop held in Canberra in 2017 was a key step, bringing together tsunami modelling experts from government, industry and academia. The handbook and companion guidelines are complimented by the Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment from Geoscience Australia. This resource informs local tsunami inundation modelling, which feeds into evacuation planning and community safety. The Tsunami handbook is also supported by Tsunami: The Ultimate Guide – an online learning resource developed collaboratively by ATAG and led by Surf Life Saving Australia. The guide raises tsunami awareness through the education of school-aged children and achieved a highly commended award in the 2014 Resilient Australia Awards. The Tsunami Emergency Planning in Australia Handbook and the suite of companion resources is part of the Australian Disaster Resilience Handbook Collection. The Handbook Collection represents nationally agreed principles on a range of salient disaster resilience themes; supporting organisations across sectors to adopt best-practice approaches aligned to national policy.