UCSD Faculty Experts:
Indian Ocean Earthquake And Tsunami

Several experts at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography can provide interviews and commentary on the processes that unfolded during the recent earthquake and tsunami that led to widespread devastation in the Indian Ocean region. Their expertise covers the characteristics of the seafloor in the region, why certain areas are more or less prone to tsunamis, and detecting earthquake signals through global networks.
Contact Scripps Communications: (858) 534-3624

GEOPHYSICS, EARTHQUAKES, AND TSUNAMIS
Graham Kent, associate research geophysicist and director of the Visualization Center at the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Bernard Minster, professor of geophysics at the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Kent and Minster can address the geology and geophysics of earthquakes and tsunamis.
Contact Scripps Communications: (858) 534-3624

GEOLOGY & HISTORY OF THE EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI REGION
Joseph Curray, professor of geology, emeritus, at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curray has spent his scientific career studying the tectonics and geological history of the northeast Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Curray is a leading expert on the seafloor geology and bathymetry of the region.
Contact Scripps Communications: (858) 534-3624

TSUNAMIS
Walter Munk, professor of geophysics, emeritus, and Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Oceanography Chair at the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Considered by many to be the world’s greatest living oceanographer, Munk has vast knowledge about global geophysics, including tsunamis, and can address the processes involved in tsunamis.
Contact Scripps Communications: (858) 534-3624

EARTHQUAKE DETECTION AND MONITORING
John Orcutt, professor of geophysics and director of the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics; deputy director for research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Current president of the American Geophysical Union, Orcutt can address ocean monitoring and earthquake detection.
Contact Scripps Communications: (858) 534-3624

Peter Davis, specialist in the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Davis can discuss the seismic velocity structure of the mantle and seismological detection.
Contact Scripps Communications: (858) 534-3624

TSUNAMI THREATS TO U.S. REGIONS
Neal Driscoll, professor in the Geosciences Research Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Driscoll conducts geoscience research, including sea-level fluctuations, and also can address potential threats to the U.S.
Contact Scripps Communications: (858) 534-3624

EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS ON MARINE LIFE, ESPECIALLY CORAL REEFS
Jeremy Jackson, professor of oceanography, Geosciences Research Division and Marine Biology Research Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Jackson is an expert on marine conservation and can discuss global ecology of coral reefs and marine life, though his expertise does not exclusively focus on the region impacted by the recent earthquake and tsunami.
Contact Scripps Communications: (858) 534-3624

TSUNAMI ALERT & DISASTER RESPONSE TECHNOLOGIES
Ramesh Rao, a professor in the Jacobs School of Engineering and UCSD division director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, is leading several projects to deploy new types of disaster alert and response technologies, initially as prototypes in southern California. He can also comment on the role blogging and other new information technologies played in the aftermath of the tsunami, and how to customize new alert systems for developing countries.
Contact: Ramesh Rao (858)822-4572