Tsunami

Presented by: Group 4

Tsunami
Atsunami(plural: tsunamis or tsunamia also known as aseismic sea waveor as

atidal wave, is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a

large volume of water, generally in an ocean or alarge lake.Earthquakes,volcanic
eruptionsand otherunderwater explosions(including detonations of underwater
nuclear devices), landslides,glacier calvings,meteorite impacts and other
disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami.In
being generated by the displacement of water, a tsunami contrasts both with a
normalocean wave generated by wind and withtides, which are generated by the
gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on bodies of water.
Tsunami waves do not resemble normalsea waves, because their wavelength is far
longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially
resemble a rapidly risingtide, and for this reason they are often referred to astidal
waves. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves withperiodsranging from
minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called "wave train".Wave heights of tens of
meters can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is
limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous and they can
affect entire ocean basins; the2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest
natural disasters in human history with at least 230,000 people killed or missing in
14 countries bordering theIndian Ocean.

Where do tsunamis most

often occur in the world?
Tsunamis occur most often in the Pacific Ocean
and Indonesia because the Pacific Rim
bordering the Ocean has a large number of
active submarine earthquake zones. However,
tsunamis have also occurred recently in the
Mediterranean Sea region and are expected in
the Caribbean Sea as well.
Authority: Dr. Hal Mofjeld, interview in March
13, 2005, NOAA Center for Tsunami Research

Why are tsunamis so

dangerous?
Tsunamis cause the water level and currents to rise rapidly, sometimes
high enough to drown or injury people who have not escaped away
from the shore to high ground. Dangerous waves can follow the first
tsunami wave, trapping people who returned to the danger area
because they thought the tsunami was over. Also, people can be
caught unaware if they don't know the natural tsunami signs
(earthquake shaking, water receding rapidly from the beach, a loud
noise like a freight train coming from the ocean) or they are places
where there are no tsunami warning systems. Strong tsunamis damage
ports and harbors, as well as tourist areas, thereby damaging relief
efforts and the economy of the communities.
Authority: Dr. Hal Mofjeld, interview in February 25, 2005, NOAA Center
for Tsunami Research

How are tectonic plates

associated with tsunamis?
When one tectonic plate subducts under another, it does so

in a series of sharp events that often cause earthquakes.

One result of this movement is that the ocean bottom is
very quickly moves upward in some locations and downward
in other nearby locations. This happens so rapidly that the
water surface is also up or down by the same amount; this
wave pattern is then the initial waveform of the newly
created tsunami that then propagates away from the source
area. The earthquakes can also trigger submarine landslides
that either generate tsunamis on their own or enhance the
tsunami generated by the tectonic bottom movement.
Authority: Dr. Hal Mofjeld, interview in March 13, 2005,
NOAA Center for Tsunami Research

More knowledge about tsunami

1. How often do tsunamis occur?
On the average, two tsunamis occur per year throughout the world
which inflict damage near the source. Approximately every 15 years
a destructive, ocean-wide tsunami occurs.
2. How big is a tsunami?
Tsunamis range in size from inches to over a hundred feet. In deep
water (greater than 600 feet/180 meters), tsunamis are rarely over 3
feet (1 meter) and will not be noticed by ships due to their long
period (time between crests). As tsunamis propagate into shallow
water, the wave height can increase by over 10 times.
Tsunami heights vary greatly along a coast. The waves can be
amplified by shoreline and bathymetric (sea floor) features. A large
tsunami can flood low-lying coastal land over a mile from the coast.

More knowledge about tsunami

1. How long do tsunamis last when they happen?
a tsunami consists of a series of waves, the danger can last for
many hours. Large tsunamis are generally recorded for a few
days following the event.
2. How fast do tsunamis travel?
Tsunami Wave Depth vs. Speed of
TravelDepthVelocityfeetmetersmphkm/h23,0007,00058694313,
0004,0004137136,5002,000194313650200991591655049793
3102236Tsunami velocity depends on the depth of water
through which it travels (velocity equals the square root of the
product of the water depth times the acceleration of gravity).
Tsunamis travel approximately 475 mph (765 km/h) in 15,000
feet (4,500 meters) of water. In 100 feet (30 meters) of water
the velocity drops to about 40 mph (64 km/h).

Safe place to go when tsunami

occurs
1. Where should I go in the event of a tsunami
warning or large, local earthquake?
Know evacuation routes and potential hazard zones
for your area. Most coastal communities have an
evacuation plan and designated safe areas. This
information can be obtained from your local
emergency official. If no tsunami hazard zone has
been established or you don't know what it is, as a
rule of thumb move to 100 feet (30 meters) above
sea level or 1 mile (1.6 km) inland. If the tsunami
hazard zone has been delineated for your area, stay
out of that area.

Signs of tsunami
2. What are the natural warning signs for a tsunami?
Severe ground shaking from local earthquakes may
cause tsunamis. As a tsunami approaches shorelines,
water may recede from the coast, exposing the ocean
floor, reefs and fish. Abnormal ocean activity, a wall of
water, and an approaching tsunami create a loud
"roaring" sound similar to that of a train or jet aircraft.
If you experience any of these phenomena, don't wait
for official evacuation orders. Immediately leave lowlying coastal areas and move to higher ground.

What should I do in the event of a

tsunami warning?
If you are in school and you hear there is a tsunami warning,

follow the advice of teachers and other school personnel.

If you are at home and hear there is a tsunami warning, you

should make sure your entire family is aware of the warning.

Your family should evacuate your house if you live in a
tsunami evacuation zone. Move in an orderly, calm and safe
manner to the evacuation site or to any safe place outside
your evacuation zone. Follow the advice of local emergency
and law enforcement authorities.

What should I do in the event of a

tsunami warning?
If you are at the beach or near the ocean and you feel the earth

shake, move immediately to higher ground. DO NOT wait for a

tsunami warning to be announced. Stay away from rivers and
streams that lead to the ocean as you would stay away from the
beach and ocean if there is a tsunami. A tsunami from a local
earthquake could strike some areas before a tsunami warning
could be announced.

Tsunamis generated in distant locations will generally give people

enough time to move to higher ground. For locally-generated

tsunamis, where you might feel the ground shake, you may only
have a few minutes to move to higher ground.

What should I do in the event of a

tsunami warning?
High, multi-story, reinforced concrete hotels are located in many

low-lying coastal areas. The upper floors of these hotels can provide
a safe place to find refuge should there be a tsunami warning and
you cannot move quickly inland to higher ground. Local Civil
Defense procedures may, however, not allow this type of
evacuation in your area. Homes and small buildings located in low
lying coastal areas are not designed to withstand tsunami impacts.
Do not stay in these structures should there be a tsunami warning.

Offshore reefs and shallow areas may help break the force of

tsunami waves, but large and dangerous waves can still be threat
to coastal residents in these areas. Staying away fro all low-lying
coastal areas is the safest advice when there is a tsunami warning.

New Idea

HONOLULU Japan is one of the most prepared countries in the world when it comes to tsunamis, but when a 9.0 earthquake struck near the
east coast of Honshu in March, 2011, it triggered an extreme tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people.
Four years later the City and County of Honolulu is taking some of the lessons learned from that horrible event by creatingextreme tsunami
mapsthat show where people need to be to remain safe.
Should we ever have a tsunami generated by an earthquake of a magnitude of 9.0 or above on the Richter scale, with the chance of waves
like that hitting our shores, our residents will be able to evacuate far enough that their lives will be saved, Mayor Kirk Caldwell said in a
Thursday news while announcing the new maps.
Regular tsunami evacuation zones listed in pink encompass about 90,000 Oahu residents. However, when you add the new extreme tsunami
zones, highlighted in yellow, a total of 330,000 people may be forced to evacuate. For Waikiki, the new extreme tsunami evacuation zone
shows the possibility of a runup reaching as far as the H1 Freeway by Bingham Street.
"You look in Waikiki, you've got to go way, way back now, said Caldwell. You've got to go across the Ala Wai Canal (and) you've got to go
across to Kapiolani Boulevard."
In addition to unveiling the new evacuation zones, the city urged residents to download a smartphone app called Ready Hawaii where the
extreme tsunami maps can be viewed. The app allows residents the opportunity to create an emergency preparedness plan while also issuing
alerts on other potential threats.
We try to cover every disaster, saidEmergency ManagementDeputy Director Peter Hirai, Anything from a major vehicle accident to
volcanoes."
Gerard Fryer, the senior geophysicist at thePacific Tsunami Warning Center, says an extreme tsunami can come from nearly any direction. For
example, the Aleutian Islands to the north of the state, the Kamchatka Peninsula to the northwest, and Vancouver Island to the northeast, just
to name a few.
"If it happened today it would take us about 25 minutes to decide whether it was this extreme event, said Fryer. In the worst case where the
tsunami is coming from the Aleutians, that still leaves a full four hours to evacuate."
Although the new evacuation zones are now in place, the citys work is far from over. So-called refuge centers that would be considered safe
during a regular tsunami could be overrun during an extreme event. Thats why the city is mapping out new areas for residents and visitors to
park their cars or seek refuge during an extreme tsunami warning.
Were still developing the refuge areas for this new zone, said Hirai. We dont have it yet.
TheDepartment of Emergency Managementsays during a hurricane event there's only enough shelter space for 35 percent of Oahu's
population. In the aftermath of an extreme tsunami, limited shelter space may also come into play depending on the extent of damage. Thats
why emergency planners say the time to prepare is now.
"Their first choice should be to get out of the zone and get to a loved one's house, a relative, a friend, someone who lives above or inland of the
zone that they can refuge with safely," said Hirai.
Emergency planners say evacuating vertically is also an option, but you should choose a building thats constructed with reinforced concrete
and go above the fourth floor as a tsunami arrives.
The new extreme tsunami maps were made possible through a $200,000 grant given to the University of Hawaiis Sea Grant College by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An additional $40,000 grant from NOAA allowed the city to create the smartphone app.

Resources
http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/faq_display.ph

p?kw=15%20March%202005%20Interview%20wit
h%20Dr.%20Hal%20Mofjeld
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tsunami/t
sunami_faq.htm
http://www.kitv.com/news/City-releases-ext
reme-tsunami-maps/34330010

Thank you for

listening!!

Reporter
Sotto, Alfredo

Power point maker and

Researcher

Manalo, Carla Mae M.

Tuazon, Lorena