UNESCO
IOC
NOAA
Tsunami Glossary
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The UNESCO IOC Tsunami Glossary includes the definition of tsunami-related technical terms, and information on the global intergovernmental coordination groups for tsunami warning and mitigation. The Glossary is available in English (2019), Spanish (2019), French (2019), Arabic (2019), and Chinese (2019). Update and revisions of terms and tsunami warning center products and forecast services have been made regularly since 2008. The 2008 version (English, Indonesian) includes definitions specific to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and its existing services to the Pacific and Caribbean.
Starting from the 2016 version, the changes were recommended and approved through the IOC TOWS WG Task Team on Watch Operations and Disaster Management and Preparedness, and the International Tsunami Information Center. The original glossary was compiled by the ITIC with input and in cooperation with tsunami experts starting in the mid-1980s, and the 1st edition of the IOC Tsunami Glossary was published in 1991 (IOC Technical Series 37).
| Document | Format/Size |
| English 2019 English 2016 (incl errata) Tsunami Glossary 2016 Errata and Updates Errata pg 8: Delete non-UN name; Index: page number corrections (PDF) Updates Table, pg 9: Regional and local tsunamis causing deaths since 1975 (JPG) Table, pg 9: Regional and local tsunamis causing 2,000 or more deaths (JPG) Table, pg 11: Tsunamis causing deaths greater than 1,000 km from the source location (JPG) English 2016 (wo errata) English 2013 Addendum (2016) English 2006 |
PDF (6.0 MB) PDF (6.1 MB) PDF (10.5 MB) PDF (6.1 MB) PDF (7.1 MB) |
| Arabic 2019 Arabic 2016 Arabic 2013 |
PDF (9.7 MB) PDF (9.6 MB) PDF (9.6 MB) |
| Bahasa Indonesian 2006 | PDF (4.9 MB) |
| Chinese 2019 Chinese 2016 Chinese 2014 Chinese 2014 Addendum (2016) |
PDF (11.0 MB) PDF (8.7 MB) PDF (6.2 MB) PDF (218 KB) |
| French 2019 French 2016 French 2013 French 2013 Addendum (2016) French 2008 |
PDF (13.2 MB) PDF (10.9 MB) PDF (9.0 MB) PDF (167 KB) PDF (5.4 MB) |
| Spanish 2019 Spanish 2016 Spanish 2008 |
PDF (6.4 MB) PDF (6.5 MB) PDF (5.6 MB) |
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