Tsunami: a research perspective

Over the past several years, tsunami research has been growing strongly, stimulated by an increasing interest in extreme events amongst geologists and geographers and supported by improved levels of funding from both public and private sectors in a number of countries. These developments are timely, and should ultimately result in a better perspective than we might otherwise have had on the origins and nature of the Sumatra tsunami that resulted in the loss of so many lives. This account summarizes the origins of tsunami in general and outlines the terminology used before describing some recent developments in tsunami research.