Big rocks moved by waves: storm and tsunami evidence on Pacific islands

Dr. Annie Lau

Tsunamis and severe storms pose significant threats to coastal communities, especially if accurate risk assessment is hindered by a lack of hazard information. In the South Pacific, geological and historical evidence of past extreme wave events are present at many locations but the generation mechanisms, source of tsunamis, or wave propagation characteristics of those events are un(der)studied. Consequently, the recurrence interval, and the type of coastal inundation event that can cause severe damage, are still largely unknown. In this lecture, Dr Lau will present her works from several beautiful Pacific islands and atolls to demonstrate how a combination of mapping, sediment analyses, numerical modelling, and age-dating help to understand what happened in the prehistoric past.

Bio: Dr Annie Lau is a Lecturer in geography at UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. She is a coastal geomorphologist with specific interests in identifying sedimentary signatures of coastal hazards, interpreting late-Quaternary climatic and environmental changes, and understanding coastal changes at various timescales. She is recognised as a coastal boulder expert as her PhD project focuses on this topic and has authored several publications including a book on boulder transport on tropical reefs. Since moving to Brisbane in 2016, she also researches the evolution of sandy coastlines in Queensland and is particularly interested in the morphology of beach ridges and large dune fields. Annie is a Councillor and the current treasurer of RGSQ.

Please note: If you have registered to attend the lecture via Zoom, the lecture link will be emailed to all registrants closer to the lecture date. This lecture may be recorded. If you have any questions, please email us at info@rgsq.org.au.