Tsunami!

What happened & why

2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake

Undersea earthquake Magnitude 9.0 (Moment magnitude scale)

NOAA

Epicenter 150 KM west of Sumatra

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake

Occurred along the subduction zone where the Indian dives under the Eurasian Plate

http://www.nps.gov/prsf/geology/images/plates.gif

Facts
earthquake came just three days after a magnitude 8.1 earthquake in an uninhabited region west of New Zealand  Possible connection between these two earthquakes  Possibility of a seismic chain reaction across neighboring plates has also been considered
 The

Facts
 Total

energy released by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake exceeds the total amount of energy consumed in the U.S. in one month  Massive release of energy and shift in mass insignificantly altered the Earth's rotation

A tsunami (pronounced sooNAA-mee) is a series of waves (called a "wave train") generated in a body of water by a pulsating or abrupt disturbance that vertically displaces the water column.

Tsunami's are also mistakenly referred to as tidal waves as they often resemble a tide that keeps rising, rather than cresting waves when they reach shore. However, as they are not actually related to tides the term may be misleading, and its use is discouraged by scientists.

Tsunamis are created when: Seafloor quickly changes shape Water is displaced Waves are formed as the displaced water mass, which is affected gravity, tries to move back
Anthony Liekens 15:30, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Characteristics
at high speeds  Can travel enormous distances with little energy loss  Can cause damage thousands of miles from its origin  May be several hours between its creation and its impact on the coast
 Move

Warning Systems
Many countries around the Pacific, including Hawaii, have warning systems and evacuation procedures in the event of a serious tsunami.

Effects of Tsunamis
of human life (100,000+) Destruction of property Spread of disease Destruction of ecosystems
Destruction

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6770108/

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6770108/

Tsunami Forecasting
The Japan Meteorological Agency(JMA) makes an announcement of tsunami forecast, including location of epicenter, magnitude of earthquake, occurrence of tsunami and its scale, when it observes earthquakes in coastal and ocean areas.

JMA constructed 150 tsunami/earthquake observation facilities all over Japan in order to issue tsunami warnings within 3 minutes after the local earthquakes.

The system was improved after the Hokkaido-Nanseioki Earthquake (Okushiri Tsunami) in 1993.

Swift Communication
Tsunami forecasts are immediately conveyed to each district branch and observatory of Meteorological Agency by way of forecast/warning simultaneous transmission system, online and meteorological satellite, Himawari, and also provided to disaster prevention organizations and press/media which has receiving terminals. The forecast/warning is relayed to residents and ships from each organization.

Communication Routes by the Meteorological Administration Law

Improvement in for tsunami forecasting from 1999 Forecast Accuracy JMA started the new system
based on the forecasting technology utilizing numerical simulation of tsunamis and other researches with the experts and concerned organizations. Given an earthquake information of the magnitude, location, fault parameters, numerical simulations on generation and propagation of tsunamis stemming from earthquakes is conducted firstly with inputting topography of ocean floors and coastal areas, which provide the quantitative information of tsunami along all coastal area. When an earthquake occurs, the wave height and arrival time of the tsunami are announced in specific numerals by searching the results of such calculations.

New Tsunami Forecasts

By this method, the following was made possible. 1) Quantitative data Announcement of the specific tsunami wave height in meters, which used to be described such as 3 meters plus at higher locations 2) Detail information Tsunami forecasting zones of Japan were segmented from the former 18 to 66. See the map below.

66 Tsunami Forecasting Zones

Infrastructure
As protection facilities against tsunamis in coastal regions, sea walls, break waters, tide gates, tsunami bay-mouth breakwaters, etc. have been constructed. Constructions of these facilities are planned and designated by the government as coastal protection facilities project. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Construction have formed the Coordinating Council for Coastal Areas Preservation where coordination of projects are being conducted.

Surveillance
With the Nihonkai-Chubu (Japan Sea) Earthquake in 1983 Tsunami Warning Inter-Ministry/Agency Conference was formed in June 1983 to promote tsunami countermeasures by the 7 ministries/agencies: Prime Ministers Office, National Police Agency, National Land Agency, Maritime Safety Agency, Meteorological Agency, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Fire and Disaster Management Agency. On 15 July 1983 the conference agreed on a note of Tsunami Surveillance in Coastal Areas and revised it in light of the tsunami disaster from the Hokkaido-Nanseioki Earthquake in 1993 on 24 November 1993. By this, the government decided to promote tsunami surveillance by immediate tsunami warnings and evacuations.

Comprehensive Tsunami Countermeasures

1. Manuals (1) Guidance for Tsunami Countermeasures in Disaster Prevention Local Plan (2) Tsunami Disaster Forecasting Manual 2. Database Tsunami Inundation Forecast Database

Guidance and Manual (1)

Generally speaking: In tsunami disaster prevention, each coastal area needs specific countermeasures such as construction of sea walls, evacuation routes, etc. in accordance with each local plan because tsunamis vary in wave height, arrival time, appearances, damages, etc., according to the local situation.

Guidance and Manual (2)

In order to promote tsunami countermeasures suitable for each coastal areas by comprehensive planning under the coordination of the concerned organizations Agencies (National Land Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Fisheries Agency, Ministry of Transport, Meteorological Agency, Ministry of Construction and Fire and Disaster Management Agency) jointly developed Guidance for Tsunami Countermeasures in Disaster Prevention Local Plan in March 1998 and presented the basic ideas and policies for tsunami disaster prevention and the process of making such plans.

Guidance and Manual (3)

Agencies (National Land Agency, Meteorological Agency and Fire and Disaster Management Agency) jointly prepared Tsunami Disaster Forecasting Manual in March 1998 and presented the method of tsunami inundation mapping as it is important to display the inundation risk areas on the maps in order to assess local tsunami risks beforehand by using new tsunami forecasting after 1999.

These guidance and manuals are distributed to local governments and municipalities to promote comprehensive tsunami disaster prevention.

Tsunami Inundation Forecast Database

The National Land Agency developed the database in order to forecast tsunami inundation zones in coastal areas and the earthquake damage early estimation system in order to estimate tsunami damages in those areas at early stages, in response to the new tsunami forecast effective from 1999. The operation of the system started in 1999. This database is expected to be utilized in preparing tsunami inundation maps by municipalities in accordance with the manual stated above.

Inter-Ministry Conference
In the former Inter-Ministry/Agency Conference for Tsunami Warning was reformed to the new InterMinistry/Agency Conference for Tsunami Countermeasures with the view of promotion of disaster prevention measures including coastal reinforcements, evacuation and rescue under the concerned ministries/agencies coordination. The member organizations are 11 ministries/agencies: Prime Ministers Office, National Police Agency, National Land Agency, Maritime Safety Agency, Meteorological Agency, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Defense Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Construction.

THANK YOU

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