On November 21, 2025, the world’s attention turned once again to the restless earth beneath our feet, as scientists, diplomats, and disaster-preparedness advocates converged on the urgent need to understand and mitigate the risks posed by earthquakes and tsunamis. The past week has seen both a sobering reminder of the planet’s seismic activity and a bold push for scientific progress and community resilience, with major events unfolding from the deep trenches off Japan’s coast to the bustling halls of the United Nations in New York.
Just days before, on November 19, 2025, EarthquakeMonitor reported that the planet experienced 200 earthquakes above magnitude 3 within a single 24-hour period. While none reached magnitude 6 or higher, four quakes exceeded magnitude 5, including a magnitude 5.0 event in the North Pacific Ocean, 206 kilometers east of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. The total seismic energy released that day was estimated at 2.3 x 1013 joules—equivalent to 5555 tons of TNT, or about 0.3 atomic bombs. These numbers, while not record-breaking, are a stark illustration of the earth’s constant motion and the ever-present potential for disaster.
Against this backdrop, scientists from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, announced on November 21 that they would soon join an international team aboard the Chikyu, one of the world’s most advanced scientific research vessels, for a 19-day deep-sea drilling expedition. Associate Professor Lorna Strachan and PhD student Anthony Shorrock will participate in International Ocean Discovery Programme Expedition 503, setting sail on November 24, 2025, off the coast of Japan. Their mission? To drill up to 8 kilometers into the Japan Trench seafloor, near the epicenter of the infamous March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake—a disaster that unleashed a deadly tsunami and claimed more than 18,000 lives.
According to the University of Auckland, this region is where two tectonic plates collide, triggering so-called "megathrust" earthquakes—some of the largest and most destructive events known to humanity. As Strachan explains, “Megathrust earthquakes are the largest and most destructive on Earth. They release incredible amounts of energy and can reshape coastlines in minutes. By studying the layers of sand and mud left behind, we can piece together the story of past events.”
The drilling will go deeper than previous missions, aiming for depths of up to 150 meters—far beyond the 40 meters achieved in a 2021 expedition that provided geological records stretching back about 10,000 years. The samples retrieved will be analyzed onboard and later stored at the Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research University in Japan, one of only three such repositories worldwide. The hope is to unlock new insights into how often these catastrophic earthquakes occur and how they interact with the planet’s carbon cycle.
This research is not just academic. In New Zealand, Strachan and her team are investigating a similar tectonic zone off the East Coast of the North Island, where the Pacific and Australian plates meet. This area represents New Zealand’s largest source of earthquake and tsunami hazard, underscoring the global relevance of the Japan Trench studies. Megaquakes, Strachan notes, can trigger underwater landslides and sediment avalanches, which in turn play a vital role in transporting organic carbon to the deep sea. “When these avalanches rush into deep trenches, they don’t just move sand and mud—they carry organic carbon. Some of that organic carbon feeds deep-sea ecosystems, and some is buried for thousands of years.”
Strachan is particularly fascinated by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)—or “biosnot,” as she calls it—sticky excretions from microorganisms that can bind sediment grains together. “EPS has been largely overlooked, yet it could account for up to 40 percent of organic carbon on the sea floor. We want to know if it’s present in these deep-sea deposits, how it affects the flow of sediments, and what part it plays in long-term carbon storage.”
While scientists probe the ocean’s depths for answers, policymakers and disaster risk experts are pushing for action on land. On November 5, 2025, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and partners commemorated World Tsunami Awareness Day at UN Headquarters in New York. The event, themed “Be Tsunami Ready: Invest in Tsunami Preparedness,” brought together member states, UN leaders, scientists, city officials, and youth to reflect on a decade of progress since the day’s establishment.
Co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Japan, Chile, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, along with UNESCO and the Group of Friends for Disaster Risk Reduction, the commemoration highlighted advances in tsunami awareness, education, and early warning systems. Mr. Yamazaki Kazuyuki, Permanent Representative of Japan, stressed the importance of preserving and sharing disaster memory as an “essential duty entrusted to us,” citing a yearly High School Students Summit that has reached over 2,000 students since 2016.
Speakers did not shy away from the harsh realities. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the UN Economic and Social Council, reminded attendees that disasters can erase years of development progress in minutes. Ms. Rabab Fatima, representing the world’s most vulnerable nations, pointed out that the toll of such disasters falls hardest on those least equipped to recover. “When the ground shakes and the oceans withdraw—seconds decide lives.”
Education emerged as a central theme. Mr. Jayantha Jayasuriya, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka, recalled the heroism of a young girl who, thanks to school lessons, recognized the signs of an impending tsunami in Thailand in 2004 and helped save lives. Youth from Sendai City, Japan, showcased how peer learning and international collaboration are shaping a new generation of disaster-aware leaders.
Local leadership and community-based preparedness were also in the spotlight. Mr. Atsushi Yanagisawa of Sendai City described how, after the 2011 disaster, recovery efforts included relocating homes to higher ground and converting coastal zones into orchards and parks. Ms. Finau Heuifanga Leveni, representing the Pacific’s Red Cross societies, noted that “preparedness must live in communities,” while Ms. Naomi Yamamoto from Canada emphasized, “Preparedness is everyone’s responsibility, and if we recognize local leaders who are central to resiliency, it will go a long way.”
Financing resilience remains a challenge, especially for small-island nations like the Maldives. Ms. Shiruzimath Sameer explained, “Frequent disasters reduce the ability to pay back debt,” calling for innovative financing and partnerships to help vulnerable countries build resilience without sacrificing essential services.
Personal stories brought the stakes home. Dr. Dwayne Meadows, a marine biologist who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, reflected, “Many thousands of lives could have been saved had we had today’s level of investment, planning and communication strategies.” He also highlighted the need for mental health support for disaster survivors.
The commemoration concluded with a reception and interactive learning, including the “Stop Disasters” simulation game, demonstrating how informed choices and inclusive planning can mean the difference between catastrophe and resilience. As Mr. Juan Pablo Vegas Torres of Peru put it, “Preparedness is not a luxury or a cost. It is a life-saving investment.”
With seismic activity a daily reality and the threat of megaquakes ever present, the world’s scientists and communities are racing not just to understand the earth, but to outpace its most devastating surprises. The work is far from finished, but the determination to be ready—on land and at sea—has never felt more urgent.
