Tsunamis are one of the most deadly natural disasters in the world and one that people understand little about. Researchers always believed that earthquakes that cause tsunamis only occur at subduction zones but that conception changed in 2004. This event that happened near Sumatra, Indonesia really drew attention to understanding how tsunamis function. This was one of the most damaging tsunamis in recent history accounting for nearly a quarter of a million deaths. There are many reasons for the casualties that occurred but one thing that is certain is that the tsunamis are very unpredictable. Japan and the U.S. have been working on a simulation to predict the pattern for tsunamis for over a decade with little data and success. The unpredictability of tsunamis makes it harder to have safety measures to warn people of the danger. Researchers really had take note of the 2004 tsunami in order to understand the nature of tsunamis as well as implement safety measures.
The tsunami in the Indian Ocean helped researches discover a lot about tsunamis and how they work. The simulation model required a good deal of data in order to be effective but there had only been measurements of tsunamis near the coast before this one. The satellites orbiting the Earth were able to measure the height of the waves as the tsunami was going in its path. This was the first time that has ever been done and it was very valuable for the researchers. They also tracked the speed of the tsunami to get an idea of how fast these deadly waves can travel at. It was astonishing when they found out that this particular tsunami was ranging speeds from 500 to 1000 kilometers per hour. The path of the tsunami was intriguing because it traveled from the Indian Ocean all ...
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...h where earthquakes are most prone to cause tsunamis. I think that scientists need to study these spots more in depth and analyze why tsunamis that happen around the same place have different reactions. The 2005 tsunami had a significantly lower wavelength then its predecessor even though the earthquake magnitude was around the same. With a deeper understanding of faults and how they are structured, I believe we can make greater strides to help lowering the risk of tsunamis. For the immediate future, the best that can be done is to use the current research and safety measures available to identify and report. With public awareness and government planning, evacuation from tsunamis will be very effective and reduce the number of casualties.
Works Cited
Geist, E.L., Titov, V.V. & Synolakis, C.E. (2006). "Tsunami: wave of change". Scientific American, 2006, p. 56-63.
Tsunamis can go the same speed as a jetliner and that massive wave can out run the fastest runner. When there is a lot of waves at once, or the water goes back that is a sign that a tsunami is coming. If that tsunami is far then people need to get to the tallest and strongest building there is in the city that way they are safe and helicopter can pick them up. Tsunamis can wipe out an entire city or 1/4 of the country. Tsunamis can last up to an hour, or more.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes in the United States. Even though it only lasted less than a minute, the damages and aftermath of the earthquake were disastrous. These damages were not just from the earthquake, but also from other hazards that occurred because of it. It also had a huge effect on the people living in San Francisco. Many people, the government, and other countries helped the city of San Francisco with relief goods like food and clothing. The city used up their resources in order to rebuild the city and spent a lot of money. This earthquake also started a scientific revolution about earthquakes and its effects.
Predicting tsunamis is not a precise art; unlike some natural disasters, tsunamis are not climate based and do not happen during a particular season. In the case of the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami, an ocean-based sensors and a warning system in place could have been an enormous help. At the time of the tsunami, there were no ocean-based sensors in place in the Indian Ocean—which lead to a lack of knowledge of the tsunami, resulting in a lack of a plan to move to higher ground resulting in 230,000 were killed due to the Boxing Day
The government should spend more money on volcano and earthquake research, because unstoppable natural disasters are around the world. Volcanoes and earthquakes can not be stopped, or prevented. However, people at monitoring stations can predict them and warn the people, but we can’t do that without knowing when they are going to happen. It is natural for people to die, but in mass amounts and us knowing we could’ve saved them all is very bad.
Then According to Indian Ocean Tsunami: Then and now “The violent upward thrust of the ocean floor at 07:58 local time (00:58 GMT) displaced billions of tonnes of seawater, which then raced towards shorelines at terrifying speeds.” The book says racing but that is just an understatement terrifying speeds means 500 mph. Also In How Scientists and Victims Watched Helplessly.
The National Geographic Society is good source of information, and no person can argue the artistry of its presentation, however, the magazine, and its television and internet productions are directed toward a curious, but mostly naive audience. If searching for an overview, a middle man one may say, National Geographic does provide a history and account of the event in “The Deadliest Tsunami in History” (National Geographic News, Jan 7, 2005). Organized and succinct, the article begins with a few simple facts about the wave making process and tsunami characteristics, even dispelling myths that a tsunami is a single destructive tidal wave, but actually a series of wave building processes resulting from the shifting of the earth undersea due to seismic activity. The article goes on to include human interest stories, not overlooking an account where an Indian man after remembering a National Geographic program, saves the li8ves of more than 1,500 of his fellow villagers. Lastly, the article discusses potential residual hazards of the event, presenting issues such as famine and disease epidemics due to the lack of clean water and food supplies diminished from the disaster.
For example, the flooding could have caused a big leakage in a nuclear plant and could have caused high radiation in that area where it happened in. Now some good things from floods are that floods contribute to the health of ecologically important wetland areas. For
Gammon, Crystal. "Massive Sea-floor Shove Triggered Japan's Tsunami." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 02 Dec. 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
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It was a beautiful day like any other with the clear blue sky and the
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