The Mw 7.6 Dusky Sound Earthquake of 2009: Preliminary Report

The Mw 7.6 Dusky Sound earthquake of July 15th, 2009, was the largest magnitude earthquake in New Zealand since the devastating 1931 Hawke‟s Bay event (Ms 7.8). The earthquake was sufficiently large to generate at least a 2.3 m wave at Passage Point. Despite its large magnitude, this event resulted in relatively minimal damage when compared to worldwide events of a similar size. This can be explained as a fortunate combination of the sparse population of the area and the specific physical characteristics of the earthquake. Centroid Moment Tensor (CMT) solutions define the rupture surface as a low-angle plane and finite fault inversions confirm the slip occurred on the interface between the eastward-subducting Australian plate and overriding Pacific plate, initiating at about 30 km depth and rupturing upward and southwestward to about 15 km depth. The oceanward rupture directivity likely contributed to the lower intensity of measured ground motion than might be expected for such a large, shallow event. The amount of radiated seismic energy from the earthquake was relatively small, and far fewer landslides were triggered from this event than from the 2003 Mw 7.2 Fiordland event

Coping with global uncertainty: Perceptions of COVID-19 psychological distress, relationship quality, and dyadic coping for romantic partners across 27 countries

A correction has been published: Erratum to Coping with global uncertainty: Perceptions of COVID-19 psychological distress, relationship ... available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02654075211061907American Psychological Association’s Office of International Affair

Coping with global uncertainty: Perceptions of COVID-19 psychological distress, relationship quality, and dyadic coping for romantic partners across 27 countries

Article first published online: August 26, 2021Following the global outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, individuals report psychological distress associated with the “new normal”—social distancing, financial hardships, and increased responsibilities while working from home. Given the interpersonal nature of stress and coping responses between romantic partners, based on the systemic transactional model this study posits that perceived partner dyadic coping may be an important moderator between experiences of COVID-19 psychological distress and relationship quality. To examine these associations, self-report data from 14,020 people across 27 countries were collected during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (March–July, 2020). It was hypothesized that higher symptoms of psychological distress would be reported post-COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 restrictions (Hypothesis 1), reports of post-COVID-19 psychological distress would be negatively associated with relationship quality (Hypothesis 2), and perceived partner DC would moderate these associations (Hypothesis 3). While hypotheses were generally supported, results also showed interesting between-country variability. Limitations and future directions are presented