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Basak
Tsunami Management
Lecture Notes
Sponsored by
Venue:
Lecture by
P. Basak, M.Tech, PhD, FIE, M.ASCE, Ford Foundation Fellow, MIT, USA
Formerly,
What is Tsunami?
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Flutwellen (German)
Vloedgolven (Dutch)
Hai I (Chinese)
Maremoto (Spanish)
Raz de maree (French)
Vagues sismiques (French)
Seismic sea wave (English)
Most waves that hit the typical beach, are wind generated.
Smaller and less powerful than other waves.
Wind-generated waves have a time period (the time
between two successful waves) of five to twenty seconds.
Tsunamis, on the other hand, can have time periods between ten
minutes and one hour and a wavelength in excess of 430 miles.
Can travel at speeds over 700 kilometers (435 miles) per hour
Tsunamis are often no taller than normal wind waves, but they
much more dangerous
Tsunami waves travel very efficiently across the ocean and that is why
it shows up hundreds and even thousands of miles away with much of
the same energy that it started. It gains height only when it
approaches the shore
In high sea everything would look normal and the ships there,
will not feel uncomfortable, neither it can be detected from the
air
OR
Causes of Tsunami
There are 4 reasons which may cause a Tsunami to form and they are:
A big earthquake below the ocean floor (like what happened on
26th Dec 2004 in Sumatra)
Very major or series of major landslides either in the mountains
below the ocean or on the land, but slided mass falling in the ocean
Huge volcanic eruptions either in the land (where from huge
amount of erupted materials find its way to the ocean) or below the
ocean (Example: Krakatua volcanic eruption in 1883)
A sizable meteorite from space falling on the ocean
Shallow undersea earthquakes (> 7.5) are responsible for most
tsunamis
Epicenter:
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Tsunami Source
area (26th Dec.
2004) see the
box in the fig.
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The most impacted spots (tsunami 26th Dec. 2004) in the Indian Ocean
see the red spots
Travel time
for the 26th
Dec. 2004
Tsunami
Waves
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All tsunamis are potentially dangerous. 10 tsunamis during last 200 years
have caused damage in India. These 10 tsunamis have killed more than
40,000 people and caused significant property damage, in east and west
Coast regions of the country.
When a tsunami comes ashore, it can cause great loss of life and property
damage.
A tsunami can occur during any season of the year and at any time, day or
night.
Much before the Tsunami Keep on gaining knowledge on the subject
Knowledge is power and safety comes only from the prior knowledge
Read the history of the coastal area, you live in and find during last 200
years, was this area affected by the Tsunami. If so how big was the
Tsunami at that time.
Locate the nearby high grounds and the easiest way to reach that spot.
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Organize yourself, the family and the community and plan for Tsunami
evacuation (the mode, the route, the safe spots etc) and get Tsunami
Ready
Look for experts and knowledgeable people to tell you more on this
Kindly note, so far as Indian Ocean is concerned, all the Nations and
Islands facing the Indian Ocean is vulnerable to the earthquakes below the
ocean. The islands and the coastal belts of the country in the region are to
be careful. The list of the Islands in the Indian Ocean is listed for your
ready reference
1. Sometimes a tsunami causes the water near the shore to recede, exposing
the ocean floor.
4. Tsunamis can travel up rivers and streams that lead to the ocean.
5. Tsunamis that strike coastal locations in the Pacific and Indian Ocean Basin
are, primarily caused by earthquakes below the ocean. These earthquakes
might occur far away or near where you live.
6. Some tsunamis can be very large. In coastal areas their height can be as
great as 30 feet or more (100 feet in extreme cases), and they can move
inland several hundred feet.
8. A tsunami consists of a series of waves. Often the first wave may not be
the largest. The danger from a tsunami can last for several hours after the
arrival of the first wave.
Immediately after the Earthquake, if you live very near the sea shore
move away from the shore, as early as possible
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If you see that the sea water has receded very far it is a dangerous run
away from the shore, you have only few minutes to save yourself
If you feel an earthquake that lasts 20 seconds or longer when you are
on the coast; the Red cross advises you to;
Drop, cover, and hold on. You should first protect yourself from the
earthquake.
coming within minutes. Move quickly to higher ground away from the
coast.
Be careful to avoid downed power lines and stay away from buildings
and bridges from which heavy objects might fall during an aftershock.
When
Tsunami is
in, hold
something
which is
strong or
which
floats
We would like to run away and would not like to face those big waves
and get killed
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We would not like get submerged in the Tsunami run up areas, beyond
the beach
We would like to get time to prepare ourselves and get physically and
mentally ready to face the situation
What is a TWS?
The satellite then transmits the data (Received from Surface Buoy)
to the Ground Stations
Ground Stations
Which demodulate the signals received from the Satellite and
immediately transmit to Tsunami Warning Centers (TWC)
strategically located who in turn send the Tsunami Warning
messages to the likely affected Nations
Kindly Note
Simply installing the Tsunami Warning System (TWS) will not change the
situation, unless it is associated with
Hazard Mapping
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Thank you