Experts warned on Tuesday that the threat of tsunami to Sydney is real, and stressed the need to take official alerts seriously.
Researchers from the University of Newcastle and the Bureau of Meteorology used software to digitally map potential outcomes of earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean, finding that major disruptions including the complete inundation of popular Sydney tourist destination, the Manly Corso, were possible.
Powerful currents and dangerous whirlpools were also shown as potential outcomes which the study's authors say highlights the need for increased community awareness.
"When you broach the idea of Australia being susceptible to tsunami, you're usually met with a dichotomy – either total disbelief that we're at any risk, or panic as to what the threat means to the individual," lead author, Ph.D. candidate Kaya Wilson said.
"(Sydney) has been affected by serious events in the past – for example the Chile earthquake in May 1960, which caused major disruption to Sydney Harbour – and we need to ensure we're equipped to best respond to all possible future scenarios."
The authors have said that while a resident of Sydney is likely to experience a tsunami in their lifetime, it may not be what they have come to expect from Hollywood movies and elsewhere.
"Hollywood sells us images of huge walls of water and engulfing waves, but in fact, we'd be looking at something more like a significant and unpredictable tide moving in and out in minutes rather than hours," project lead and coastal geoscientist, Dr. Hannah Power said.
"Although we wouldn't expect a risk to the central business district, strong currents and unpredictable rapid water movements would make the harbor an unsafe place to be, posing a threat to swimmers, fishers, boaters and potentially those near the water."
The main cause of tsunamis is earthquakes on the ocean floor, which mostly occur at "subduction zones," where tectonic plates meet – the nearest such point to Eastern Australia being the Puysegur Trench, south of New Zealand.
