Runup measurements of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

We summarize some of the findings and observations from the field surveys conducted in the aftermath of the horrific tsunami of 26 December 2004 and reported in this issue. All these field surveys represent an unprecedented scientific undertaking and involved both local and international scientists working side by side. The 26 December tsunami was the first with transoceanic impact, since comprehensive postevent hydrodynamic surveys began to be conducted in the early 1990s with modern measurement tools. The tsunami impacted at least 16 nations directly: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Oman, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, the Maldives, Rodrigues, Mauritius, Réunion, and the Seychelles. The death toll included citizens from many other countries in Asia, Europe, the South Pacific, and the Americas, giving this tsunami the grim distinction of being the first universal natural disaster of modern times.