Storm surge prediction: present status and future challenges

In the current review, the most pessimistic events of the globe in history are addressed when we present severe impacts caused by storm surges. During previous decades, great progresses in storm surge modeling have been made. As a result, people have developed a number of numerical software such as SPLASH, SLOSH etc. and implemented routine operational forecast by virtue of powerful supercomputers with the help of meteorological satellites and sensors as verification tools. However, storm surge as a killer from the sea is still threatening human being and exerting enormous impacts on human society due to economic growth, population increase and fast urbanization. To mitigate the effects of storm surge hazards, integrated research on disaster risk (IRDR) as an ICSU program is put on agenda. The most challenging issues concerned such as abrupt variation in TC's track and intensity, comprehensive study on the consequences of storm surge and the effects of climate change on risk estimation are emphasized. In addition, it is of paramount importance for coastal developing countries to set up forecast and warning system and reduce vulnerability of affected areas.