Historic charts could improve future tsunami forecasts

Thousands of historic marigrams—paper charts recording sea-level changes dating back to the mid-1800s—contain some of the only instrument-based evidence of past tsunamis. The chief archivist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information scanned these records for ease of use, but associating scanned images with searchable catalog metadata required specialized expertise. 

Through a collaborative research grant, University Libraries partnered with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences to complete a metadata scraping and remediation project for historic marigrams. “My role was about bridging two worlds: library science and oceanography,” said Erik Radio, the metadata librarian assisting the project. 

The partnership transformed thousands of analog charts into structured, searchable metadata that will help scientists discover data needed to validate tsunami models, improve forecasting accuracy, and strengthen coastal resilience and preparedness.

Right: Examples of historic paper marigrams (tide-gauge records) digitized through a partnership between University Libraries and CIRES.