Tsunami
Ever wondered what is a tsunami, or how does it occur? A tsunami is a wave that occurs in an ocean or other types of water body made by earthquakes, landslides, volcano eruptions, or meteorite impact. It could be almost 30 meter high and reach at least 900 kilometer per hour. It affects many things, for example; many people could die or get injured, people’s homes could be damaged or destroyed, and it could ruin the water system or the electricity system. A tsunami looks like a gigantic wave that is coming from the sea, ocean to the land/beach.
What to Do When a Tsunami Occurs
- Under no circumstance should you go near the coast to see the tsunami hit. Remember this: if you can see it, than you are too close to escape.
- If a tsunami is approaching and you cannot move to higher ground, stay indoors where you will be protected from the water. It is preferable for you to find a space in the house away from any windows.
- Often, tsunamis are a series of waves that can be separated by a few minutes or even an hour.
- Monitor the progress of the tsunami and be alert for any warnings or instructions from local authorities. If you’re in a safe location when the tsunami strikes, stay there until local authorities indicate that the situation is under control.
- After a tsunami, floodwater can accumulate and it can be dangerous to walk or drive through these waters. Before driving, listen to instructions from local authorities that are coordinating the evacuation plans.
- Be aware of risks such as hypothermia or drowning in the floodwaters. Your local Red Cross chapter can provide more information on how to prevent these problems.
Tsunamis are detected by coastal tide gages and by tsunami buoys in the deep ocean/sea. A typical tsunami buoy system comprises two components; the pressure sensor anchored to the sea floor and the surface buoy. This tide gages measures the tsunami’s wave straight after. The tools that might help could be that animals do things they usually don’t do, or the seismologist can predict if after an earthquake would there be any tsunamis.
The benefits of detecting tsunamis are that first it doesn’t coast much but after it helps and saves lot of money and lives of people if they detected before anything bad will happens. Also, it warns people to be aware of a tsunami that might come to their country, city, or even a small town.
There are many impacts of tsunamis on economic, environmental socials. The impacts of tsunamis on economic are, that thousands of people loses their homes and they become homeless. The advantages are many early warnings can allow people and boats to leave an area where a Tsunami wave can impact savings thousands of lives and millions of dollars in property. The disadvantages are from possible false alarms which might lull people into thinking they don't have to act immediately and depending on the distance from the earthquake causing a tsunami, people may think they have more time to evacuate an area. Judging the size and distance of a tsunami wave might also help people decide whether to simply get to higher ground right away or if they have time to gather possessions. The system has to allow for nearby earthquakes and the amount of time it takes to gather data to put out a warning. To avoid panic, you have to give people a time limit to evade an area if possible. Clear instructions as to what procedures to follow should be taught to residents and visitors and posted in areas of concern and radio/TV broadcasts should also be implemented for instructions.
An example of a big tsunami was in 2004, December 26, in Indonesia. By the first day of the tsunami there were 150,000 people dead or missing, and millions of people became homeless in 11 countries. The epicenter of the tsunami was under the Indian Ocean near the Sumatra, Indonesia, with 9.0 magnitudes. The tsunami was 1,000 kilometers long.
All in all, you can predict a tsunami but you can’t predict an earthquake that well. Most of the times tsunamis occur in Asia and on the west side of the Pacific Ocean. Previous disasters and our knowledge of science, if money is not sparing build out an effective system of pre-stoppage on the field is less vulnerable human victims’ and material damage to survive such natural disasters.
This happened in 2004 in Indonesia.
This is the most resent one. It's in Hawaii in 2010.
Bibliography
“The Deadliest Tsunami in History?” National Geographic News. N.p., 7 Jan. 2005. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1227_041226_tsunami.html>.
Gardiner, Lisa. “What Is a Tsunami?” Window to the Univers. N.p., 21 May 2008. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/tsunami1.html>.
Higuera, Valencia P. “Tsunami: Exploring Killer Waves.” GoogoBits.com. N.p., 12 Oct. 2005. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.googobits.com/articles/p0-2981-tsunami-exploring-killer-waves.html>.
“Tsunami Characteristics.” NWS/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Summer 2005. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/characteristics.htm>.
“What to Do When a Tsunami Occurs.” Survival-Goods. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.survival-goods.com/What_To_Do_When_a_Tsunami_Occurs_s/344.htm>.
Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI4NwahF5wI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDOuwMj7Xzo
Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI4NwahF5wI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDOuwMj7Xzo
