Santa Monica Coastal Digital Elevation Model for Tsunami Forecasting

NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center built a high-resolution digital elevation model for the Santa Monica, California coastal region to support tsunami forecasting. This integrated bathymetric-topographic DEM is used in the SIFT and MOST models for simulating tsunami generation, propagation, and inundation. The model has a cell size of 1/3 arc-second, equating to approximately 10 meters of spatial resolution.

Use Cases

• Simulate tsunami inundation using the integrated bathymetric-topographic DEM in the MOST model.
• Support short-term inundation forecasting for tsunamis (SIFT) with high-resolution coastal elevation data.
• Analyze coastal processes and relief using gridded elevation data referenced to the WGS84 horizontal datum.
• Integrate this DEM with other federal and local datasets for comprehensive coastal hazard modeling.

Strengths

• High-resolution cell size of 1/3 arc-second, providing approximately 10-meter spatial detail.
• Data is integrated from multiple authoritative sources including NOAA, USGS, and USACE.
• Specifically developed and used for operational tsunami forecasting models at NOAA.

Limitations

• The specific geographic extent and total number of data points (rows/cells) are not provided.
• Vertical datums are referenced to various standards, which may require harmonization for specific analyses.
• Data availability is limited to select U.S. coastal regions, not a national or global coverage.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

Collection Method

Compiled from bathymetric, topographic, and shoreline data obtained from NGDC, NOS, USGS, USACE, FEMA, and other government, academic, and private sources.

Freshness

Last updated on 2024-10-18.

Geography

Santa Monica, California coastal region.