The Tsunami Science and Preparedness Contributions of Paula Kay Dunbar

Abstract:

The tsunami community is a small one with few making long and lasting impacts to the advancement of tsunami science. We lost one such expert in 2020 with the passing of Paula K. Dunbar. For nearly 30 years, Paula worked at the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center (later NCEI) and retired in 2017. She was the lead scientist on the Historical Tsunami, Earthquake, and Volcanic Eruptions database, bringing them to their current international status of being an authoritative source of tsunami information as part of the ICSU World Data Services system. The database started as paper records and with her passionate attention to detail and primary source referencing is now an online resource for thousands of scientists around the globe. For the NTHMP, she was the co-lead author on the U.S. States and Territories National Tsunami Hazard Assessment (first completed in 2008 and updated in 2015). She collaborated regularly with the International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) on regional, national and global products to support tsunami awareness and was one of the lead authors on the PTWS Commemorative Historical Book, “Pacific Tsunami Warning System, A Half-Century of Protecting the Pacific, 1965-2015,” published by ITIC and NCEI. Paula was a long-time member of both the IUGG Tsunami and Georisk Commissions, instrumental in the development of the UNESCO IOC International Tsunami Service Team Post-Tsunami Survey Field Guide, and also published numerous articles on topics related to tsunami data management, historical tsunami events, and her favorite topic, the different ways to represent runups. The AGU talk will focus on some of the highlights of Paula’s career and how her legacy will live on.