Organization:O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory
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| Established | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Research type | Wave, tsunami |
| Director | Pedro Lomonaco |
| Location | Corvallis, Oregon, United States |
Operating agency | Oregon State University |
| Website | wave.oregonstate.edu |
O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory is a research facility in Corvallis, Oregon, United States . Operated by Oregon State University’s Coastal & Ocean Engineering Program within the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Built in 1972, the laboratory was designated as a tsunami research location by the National Science Foundation in 2001. It contains two wave basins and a long wave flume. The Tsunami Wave Basin is the largest tsunami simulator in the world.[1]
History
Construction on the laboratory began in 1972.[2] In 1973, the facility opened with the wave flume used to simulate the ocean waves.[3] The circular wave and rectangular wave basins were both finished in 1990.[3] That year the lab received a grant from the United States’ Office of Naval Research for $8.6 million to examine wave structures, which helped to pay for the two new wave basins.[3]
In 2001, the Wave Research Laboratory was awarded a $4.8 million grant to study tsunamis by the National Science Foundation.[4] The remodeled portion of the facility, the Tsunami Wave Basin, was completed in 2003.[5] In 2007, the foundation granted the laboratory $1.1 million to study storm surges and other waves related to hurricanes.[6]
Facility
The first wave research equipment was the wave flume.[3] It is 360 feet (110 m) long, 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep.[3] It is used to simulate the waves of the ocean, and creates 5-foot-high (1.5 m) waves with currents strong enough to surf on.[3] The wave flume holds up to 350,000 gallons of water.[3] It can create both regular and irregular waves at intervals as short as .5 seconds apart.[7] Research is mainly on the effect of waves on structures such as breakers.[8] As the largest of this type of wave flume in North America, it can also be used to study the transport of sediment in the ocean.[7]
A circular basin was added in 1990 to research the movement of sediment along beaches, among other research topics.[3] It is also used to study ocean currents.[8] The Circular Wave Basin can create waves up to 2 feet (0.61 m) in height in the 5 feet (1.5 m) deep structure that is 50 feet (15 m) in diameter.[9]
The rectangular basin has 30 wave generators that can be used to simulate a storm in the controlled environment of the lab.[3] In 2001, it was expanded to a size of 87 feet (27 m) by 160 feet (49 m) with a depth of 6.5 feet (2.0 m) to facilitate tsunami research.[4] Research includes the effects of a tsunami on coastal population centers and possible survival options.[10] The Tsunami Wave Basin was the first in the world dedicated to tsunami research, and is the largest and most advanced facility in the world.[11] Additionally, the tsunami laboratory has a variety of above and below the water cameras, wave gauges, and microphones.[4] They also operate a Tsunami Experimental Databank that allows other researchers to access video and data over the internet.[4] Scientists work in collaboration with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[12] Researchers from universities around the United States use the basin for tsunami wave simulations.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Fogarty, Colin. Weekend All Things Considered: Tsunami Test Allows Researchers to Prepare (DP). Host: Noah Adams. National Public Radio, September 16, 2007.
- ↑ Facilities. O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Conover, Kirsten A. Researching an Indoor Ocean. Christian Science Monitor, March 2, 1990. People, Wave-Mechanics Scientist, Pg. 13.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Hill, Richard L. OSU lab will delve deeper into secrets of tsunamis. The Oregonian, February 7, 2001. Science; Pg. B02.
- ↑ OSU opens research lab sure to make some waves Giant basin will model tsunamis hitting coast. The Seattle Times, September 15, 2003.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hill, Richard L. Tide of disasters raises profile of Oregon State tsunami center. The Oregonian, September 19, 2007.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Large Wave Flume. O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cruz, Laurence M. Corvallis christens the world's largest tsunami research laboratory to study an elusive and deadly phenomenon. Statesman Journal, August 6, 2003.
- ↑ Circular Wave Basin. O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
- ↑ Ross, Winston. Researchers simulate tsunami in Seaside; General News; They hope to determine the safest escape option to use when a giant wave strikes. The Register-Guard, September 14, 2007.
- ↑ Scigliano, Eric. Disaster machines: simulating quakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and fire; Take a tour of the biggest and baddest platforms for simulating disasters - all in the name of safety. New Scientist, September 1, 2007. Pg. 40-43.
- ↑ Catastrophic Tsunami Possible On West Coast. Space Daily, January 5, 2005.
External links
[ ⚑ ] 44°33′50″N 123°17′28″W / 44.563842°N 123.291042°W
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