npj Natural Hazards

Tsunami are rare yet one of the most devasting disasters. Researchers at Tohoku University worked together with Swiss RE International SE (Japan Branch) to develop science-based, cost-effective parametric insurance.

Tsunamis can cause immense physical damage to ports, but the economic cost does not stop there. The resultant disruptions of shipping lanes result in billions of dollars in losses every day, as was seen in the 2011 tsunami that hit the Tohoku Region. To better assess the ripple effect a tsunami could cause to shipping lanes in the South China Sea, a group of international researchers carried out 104 tsunami simulations.