Tsunamis are a series of waves generated by a large displacement of water. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or mass movements that occur within or near a body of water have the potential to trigger tsunami activity.  Offshore, a tsunami’s amplitude is generally small (a few metres) in relation to its wavelength, which can be on the order of 10s - 100s of kilometers (Yeh et al., 1994).   Unlike wind-generated waves, the kinetic energy of a tsunami is evenly distributed throughout its depth (Yeh et al., 1994).  This kinetic energy is converted to potential energy as a tsunami approaches the shore, thereby allowing the amplitude of the wave to increase.  Due to the massive amount of energy they contained, tsunamis can be devastating to coastal communities, particularly those at low elevations.
     Metro Vancouver is a coastal community that lies near the northern segment of the Cascadian subduction zone.  A sudden release of energy from the subducting Juan de Fuca Plate, or other plates within the Pacific Ocean, has the potential to generate a seismic tsunami that could inundate Metro Vancouver.  Due to the orientation of Vancouver Island and northwestern Washington, Metro Vancouver is protected from experiencing a direct tsunami wave.  The energy expended by travelling around Vancouver Island may decrease the amplitude and thus the risk of tsunami activity.  For example, sedimentological records show that 10+ metre high tsunamis that have hit Vancouver Island dissipated to 2 metre high waves or less once they hit the Metro Vancouver area (Clauge et al., 2006). 
    Evidence does exist however that tsunamis are capable of inundating sheltered coastal areas without significantly losing their energy (Yeh et al., 1994).  Furthermore, communities surrounding straits or inlets may be at greater tsunami risk that coastal communities due to the phenomenon of wave amplification due to resonance (Yeh et al, 1994).  Port Alberni, for example, was severely devastated by the tsunami generated by the Good Friday Alaskan earthquake of 1964.  Despite being located at the head of Alberni Inlet, 64 kilometers from the coast, Port Alberni experienced a tsunami wave three times the magnitude of that which hit the coastal town of Tofino, B.C. (Barua et al., 2006).   
    Experimental modeling demonstrated that a magnitude 9.0 Cascadian earthquake has the potential to produce a tsunami 16 metres high upon hitting Vancouver Island (Cherniawsky et al., 2007).  Taking into account the dissipation of energy a tsunami experiences travelling through the Straight of Georgia (Clauge et al, 2006) as well as the potential for wave amplification due to resonance experienced in confined channels (Yeh, 1994) we decided that a 10 metre high tsunami would be a ‘worst case scenario’ event to hit Metro Vancouver. 
    The aim of this project is to identify the area at risk of tsunami inundation in Metro Vancouver.  In particular we will explore the region at risk of inundation generated by a 10 metre high tsunami.  Furthermore, we intend to quantify the population of Metro Vancouver that resides within the tsunami inundation area. Both elevation data as well as the distance the location is from the coast will be used to calculate the inundation area.  This is method will allow for energy loss to surface friction as the tsunami moves on land.