| 22 Jul 2026
A revision of the Catalogue of tsunamis on the Spanish coast
Abstract. Spain faces significant exposure to tsunami risk due to its extensive coastline and location between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Historical records confirm that tsunamis have impacted the Spanish coast in the past, although such events have been relatively infrequent. In this context, a comprehensive review of tsunami catalogues, historical documents, scientific literature, and marigrams was conducted to compile an updated Catalogue of tsunamis on the Spanish coast, which is presented here.
To assess the reliability of the various historically claimed tsunami events, the available contemporary primary sources were critically reappraised. This process allowed the incorporation of new relevant information for some events, thereby refining their assigned reliability scores. Conversely, events included in previous compilations that lack support from credible historical sources or instrumental data were discarded.
The new catalogue comprises a total of 16 tsunami events, including those with a reliability index of probable and definite. Specifically, the compilation follows the parameterization criteria employed by the Euro-Mediterranean tsunami catalogue, where geological evidence is not considered; therefore, such information is included as complementary data.
The updated information provided for each tsunami and its generating cause, along with detailed descriptions of the observed effects in the affected localities, offers a better understanding of the tsunami hazard on the Spanish coasts.
This manuscript presents a comprehensive revision of the Catalogue of tsunamis on the Spanish coast based on a critical reassessment of historical sources, existing catalogues, geological studies, newspaper archives and available tide-gauge records. The revised catalogue incorporates additional events identified through the reassessment of historical and instrumental evidence, while excluding others that are not sufficiently supported by the available information, resulting in a final catalogue comprising 16 tsunami events.
The manuscript clearly falls within the scope of NHESS. Historical tsunami catalogues constitute a fundamental component of tsunami hazard and risk assessments, particularly given that, for tsunami, long instrumental records are scarce, and historical information may play a significant role in understanding existing risk.
The work represents a valuable contribution to the tsunami scientific community. In particular, the extensive review of primary documentary sources and original marigrams is highly commendable and constitutes the principal strength of the study. The authors move beyond a simple compilation exercise and critically reassess the historical evidence supporting each event, which improves the traceability and transparency of the resulting catalogue. This effort will likely make the catalogue a reference for future tsunami risk studies in Spain.
The manuscript is generally well written, thoroughly documented and supported by a significant number of references spanning historical seismology, tsunami catalogues, geological evidence and instrumental observations. The figures and tables are overall appropriate, and the structure of the paper facilitates consultation of individual events.
I find the scientific basis of the manuscript to be generally sound and the conclusions to be consistent with the available evidence. The new catalogue represents an improvement over previous versions and the exclusion of some historically doubtful events appears justified.
My comments below are primarily intended to improve the clarity, reproducibility and scientific impact of the paper. In my opinion, most of the issues identified can be addressed through clarification, expansion of some sections and improvement of the discussion, without requiring substantial modifications to the catalogue itself.
Please see the attached review for detailed comments and recommendations.