SLIDE 3: DEFINITION

Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning harbor wave.

A tsunami is a series of waves with a long wavelength and period (time between crests) generated by a
large, impulsive displacement of sea water.
Time between crests of the wave can vary from a few minutes to over an hour.
Tsunamis are often incorrectly called tidal waves; they have no relation to the daily ocean tides.

SLIDE 4: CHARACTERISTICS
A tsunami can have wavelengths of 100 to 200 km, and may travel hundreds of kilometers across the
deep ocean, reaching speeds of about 725 to 800 km/h. Upon entering shallow coastal waters,
however, the waves may suddenly grow rapidly in height. When the waves reach the shore, they may
be up to 30m high or more.

Tsunamis have tremendous force because of the great volume of water affected and the speed at which
they travel. Just 1m
3
of water weighs >1 ton. Although the tsunami slows to a speed of about 48 km/h
as it approaches a coastline, it has a destructive force equal to millions of tons. Tsunamis are capable of
obliterating coastal settlements.

SLIDE 5: CAUSES
Tsunamis can be generated by an undersea earthquake, an undersea landslide, the eruption of an
undersea volcano, or by the force of an asteroid crashing into the ocean. The most frequent cause of
tsunamis is an undersea earthquake. When the ocean floor is uplifted or offset during an earthquake, a
set of waves is created similar to the concentric waves generated by an object dropped into the water.

SLIDE 6: PREDICTIONS
Tsunamis are rare and difficult to predict. Although scientists can rapidly detect an undersea
earthquake, not all of which generate a tsunami.

1949, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was established in Hawaii. From then to 2004, the center
issued warnings for tsunamis that occurred in the Pacific Ocean.

1965 the International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) was established by UNESCO to mitigate the
hazards posed by tsunamis by helping nations that rim the Pacific Ocean prepare for a tsunami.

The PMEL, a leading research center for the study and monitoring of tsunamis, developed tsunameter,
anchored on the ocean floor and measures changes in water pressure when a tsunami passes above.
When a tsunameter detects a tsunami, it sends acoustic signals to a buoy, the buoy then converts the
signals to radio waves and relays the data to an orbiting satellite, which then alerts several warning
centers. The entire process takes only 2 minutes.

Once a tsunami warning is issued, people in the affected areas are warned to seek high ground
immediately and to stay away from coastlines until the alert has ended.

SLIDE 8: DEC 24, 2004
_On Dec. 26, 2004, the world's most powerful earthquake in more than 40 years struck deep under the
Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra.
_The massive 9.1 magnitude quake was then ensued by a massive and particularly deadly tsunami.
_The waves slammed into 14 [Indian Ocean] countries, killing an estimated 220,000 people and
displacing millions.
_Geologists calculated that the ocean floor at the epicenter was thrust upward 9m as a result of the
quake.

SLIDE 10: MARCH 11, 2011
_On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 earthquake occurred, this time near the east coast of Honshu, Japan. Like
the 2004 underwater earthquake, this too unleashed a massive tsunami which resulted in thousands of
death toll, missing and injured.
_Within a week of the incident, the death toll had risen to 4,164 [dead], with 7,843 reported missing
and 2,218 injured
_the tsunami has had a catastrophic effect on the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear reactor, resulting in
Japanese authorities challenge of cooling it off and stopping the leak of deadly radiation.