Advances in Operational Earthquake and Tsunami Response Science: Delivering Time-Critical and Actionable Advice
Seismological Research Letters (SRL) is soliciting papers for a Focus Section on Advances in Operational Earthquake and Tsunami Response Science: Delivering Time-Critical and Actionable Advice.
Large earthquakes and tsunamis are among the world’s deadliest and most costly natural hazards and require rapid characterization and response. Accurate estimates of hazard characteristics in the first seconds, minutes, and hours of a major event are crucial for producing effective early warnings and planning post-event emergency response actions, helping save lives, mitigate loss, and speed recovery.
Recent large earthquakes and tsunamis around the globe have highlighted both significant progress in rapid response science and remaining challenges. Notable challenging events have demonstrated that near-real-time characterization can continue to be improved, for example complex earthquakes like the 2009 Samoa (M8.1), 2016 Kaikoura (M7.8), 2021 South Sandwich Islands (M7.5 and M8.1), the 2023 Türkiye-Syria (7.8 and 7.5) and the recent 2025 Kamchatka (M8.8) earthquake, as well as tsunamis like the 2018 Sulawesi tsunami (10m) and 2022 Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai eruption tsunami (18m). With every event, we are able to test and improve rapid characterization tools and advice. At the same time, advances in technology are leading to exploration of new techniques that have potential to enhance the information provided to emergency responders.
Recent global advances in rapid data acquisition and processing, hazard modelling, and information dissemination highlight the dynamic nature of this field of research. Near real-time implementations of novel characterization techniques are increasing the speed of scientific response. Such real-time systems often require both automated processes and expert interpretation to ensure actionable insights. Methods that can better approximate complex sources (e.g. the treatment of earthquakes as finite faults) have improved accuracy, opening the door to advanced impact and forecasting products. Advances in forecasting tsunami (e.g. using direct ocean observations, uncertainty quantification) have facilitated forecasting the temporal evolution of the threat. Together, these advances are moving us towards providing the public, decision makers, and emergency responders with accurate actionable impact-based information.
This focus section aims to showcase recent scientific and operational innovations in earthquake and tsunami response. We invite contributions from across the fields of research, including, but not limited to:
- New or improved source characterization methods for earthquakes and tsunamis
- Real-time tools and platforms
- Emerging technologies, including machine learning approaches
- Early warning applications
- Regional case studies (e.g. SW Pacific)
- Rapid science communication and delivery to decision makers
Guest Editors
- Bill Fry, Earth Sciences New Zealand (b.fry@gns.cri.nz)
- Anthony Jamelot, Laboratoire de Géophysique. Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia (jamelo@labogeo.pf)
- Anna Kaiser, Earth Sciences New Zealand (a.kaiser@gns.cri.nz)
- Stefano Lorito, INGV (stefano.lorito@ingv.it)
- Kuo-Fong Ma, Academica Sinica (fong@earth.sinica.edu.tw)
- Laura Scognamiglio, INGV (laura.scognamiglio@ingv.it)
- William Yeck, USGS Golden (wyeck@usgs.gov)
Deadline for Submission: 15 May 2026
Articles accepted to this SRL Focus Section on Advances in Operational Response will be published online soon after acceptance and collectively in print in the November 2026 issue. Papers will be reviewed as they are received and published online prior to the print issue.
In preparing manuscripts, authors must follow the SRL author guidelines at www.seismosoc.org/publications/srl-authorsinfo/. Papers must be submitted via the SRL online submission system (SRL online submission system (www.editorialmanager.
Please address questions about scientific issues to the guest editors or SRL Editor-in-Chief Allison Bent at srleditor@seismosoc.org. Submission-related questions should be addressed to the SRL Editorial Office at srl@seismosoc.org.