Tsunami Essay
How peaceful and attracting does this beach look like, isn't it just wonderful? Can you imagine going swimming in that salty warm dreamy beach? But if you look at this HAZARD WARNING ZONE sign, and you know what might happen if you INTEND on going to this beach, it is scary to even pass the warning sign, and not go INTO the water, right?
Tsunami, which is also known as seismic waves- and mistakenly called tidal waves because they are not caused by tidal action- are one of the world’s most dangerous waves that begin growing in height from any small number like 10 cm, and continue growing in height up to about 100 feet or more. A tsunami is a lot of waves made in an ocean or other body of water by an earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, or meteorite impact. Tsunami waves are tremendous and can travel very quickly, about 700 km/hr, wow, that’s a fast wave! They usually start growing when they reach the coast, and that's where they start slowing down to be able to hit. A short time before the tsunami wave hits, the water near the shore moves away so the tsunami has space. The first wave isn't usually the largest, every 10-60 minutes additional waves come. When it hits the city, Uh-oh! Everyone's doomed!! :( When these HUGE waves splash into the city, a lot of damage happens. Tsunami waves will destroy the buildings, houses that people live in, cars, banks, streets, basically the whole city! The whole city is very important for people to be able to survive in their environment. For example, without buildings they wouldn’t have a healthy place to live in, and without banks they could be going through a crisis and run out of cash, there are so many reasons why the tsunami is extremely dangerous and why it is important for the city to be safe. More importantly, the people need to be safe! What’s a safe city with not people in it?
The environment is another important thing. Tsunamis cause damage to infrastructure, animals and plants due to the fast waves that destroy everything in their path. For example like trees, crops, bushes, plants, and everything living, also animals, species and fish and a lot more!
If you’re thinking that the only way of protecting yourself from a tsunami is by running, you’re wrong. Tsunamis travel a lot faster than humans do, that’s what makes them SO dangerous! There are several tips that I found on the internet on how you can save yourself before a tsunami happens, during the tsunami and after a tsunami. Firstly, you have to know where the closest high-ground is and how you will reach it. You have to get as far inland as you can! You should always plan how to go far away from a tsunami before it actually happens. On the other hand, during a tsunami you should never go to the shore to watch for a tsunami. Don’t get close to at-risk areas until everything is over. Lastly, after the tsunami listen to radios and see what the people say- if they mention any more possibilities that the tsunami will happen, stay away from the shore, and DO NOT go sightseeing. Also, if you are injured or if your stuff is damaged, take notes and take pictures for insurance purposes.
So as you can see, tsunamis are quite dangerous. One article that I read described where the biggest tsunami occurred- and I found out that in 1964, a gigantic, tremendous tsunami about 200,000 square mile area which took place along the source fault has hit the South East coast of Alaska, the Pacific coast of British Columbia, and west coast of the United States. About 119 people got killed in this huge tsunami along the coast of Alaska, and caused 300 to 400 million dollars in damage of Alaska alone.
We should be very aware of them because we know what will happen by even THINKING about all the damage they can cause; The people and the community, the place/country, and the environment and animals and species will all lose their lives.
Because of all the consequences previously mentioned, it is very important to have good integrated measure to predict tsunamis’ appearances and to avoid human disasters.
There are different types of tsunami warning systems. I will describe one type that uses the bottom pressure sensors.
The fact that the presence of a tsunami can be felt on the sea floor can be used to detect the tsunami. By placing a piece of equipment that can sense the seismic waves’ energy on the seabed, we can be able to accurately sense the presence of a tsunami. One example of the tsunami warning system is given on the picture below. It is NOAA Tsunami Warning System
If you look at the diagram, the sensor will rest at the bottom of the ocean. It will continue to measure the pressure. The spike in the pressure in the ocean floor most likely means that a tsunami has just passed over the sensor! Once the measured pressure spikes, the sensor will send a signal to a buoy with a hydrophone and a transmitter. The buoy would be resting on the surface of the water. Once the buoy has received the signal from the pressure sensor, it will transmit VIA satellite to the Early-warning station the information it has. The Early-warning station will be able to inform the endangered areas of coming danger.
- This is to examine how the tsunami decides whether to inform the public or not!
The tsunami warning system was made to help minimize loss of life and property. It has two sources- the distant source and the local source. Basically, a distant source is when an earthquake happens from one place to another, like from Australia to America, and a local source is when the tsunami happens in the place its’ happening in- for instance, in Alaska.
I've also read some kind of article that explains how elephants in India run to the hills before the tsunami appears in the year 2004. It's amazing how they are capable of hearing the sound waves with much smaller frequency than us people- from 0.001 Hz to 20 Hz. Of course, when they felt it they ran away- maybe people should look more for these natural warning systems, pay more attention to this natural sign and include them with scientific inquiry that they received with some modern kinds of devices.
The global environmental justice between rich and poor countries are known as the powerful and the powerless within the countries. Even though the earthquake and the tsunami are natural phenomena- any natural disaster like volcano eruptions, drouts etc-, there wasn’t anything "natural" about the tsunami disaster and the earthquake disaster. The tsunami before and after is a study of how "natural" disasters can have "unnatural" effects in much poorer regions, going from human made things like poor housing and vulnerable subsistence economies. For example, the Pacific Ocean warning system can warn the Pacific “Ring of fire” countries of an incoming tsunami, but the poorer countries of South and Southeast Asia were not able to afford an Indian Ocean warning system. Now scientists are trying to create a warning system in poorer countries so that they live the same way as rich countries!
After all the online articles and information that I've read, I can conclude that it is very important to have a good emergency infrastructure- which can reach EVERYONE: from fishermen in Indonesia to THE SWIMMER in Hawaii- because that can save a thousand of people's lives!
Bibliography:
1. Pendick, Daniel. "Catching a Tsunami in the Act." Savage Earth. Daniel Pendick,
15 July 2008. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
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2. NOAA. "What is a tsunami?" Windows to the Universe. /, 16 Sept. 2007. Web. 27
Feb. 2011.
3. "The tsunami warning system- how does it work?" Yaquina Bay Communications.
N.p., 10 Aug. 2005. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.
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4. Claire, Eau. "The waves of devastation." The waves of devastation. N.p., n.d.
Web. 27 Feb. 2011.
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5. Doesn't, Mention. "Tsunamis." United States search of rescue and Task Force.
N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.
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