The 2004 Sumatra tsunami as recorded on the Atlantic coast of South America

Abstract

The 2004 Sumatra tsunami propagated throughout the World Ocean and was clearly recorded by tide gauges on the Atlantic coast of South America. A total of 17 tsunami records were found and subsequently examined for this region. Tsunami wave heights and arrival times are generally consistent with numerical modeling results. Maximum wave heights of more than 1.2m were observed on the coasts of Uruguay and southeastern Brazil. Marked differences in tsunami height from pairs of closely located tide gauge sites on the coast of Argentina illustrate the importance that local topographic resonance effects can have on the observed wave response. Findings reveal that, outside the Indian Ocean, the highest waves were recorded in the South Atlantic and not in the Pacific as has been previously suggested.