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Tsunami effects and causes
Tsunami information 5 pages
Tsunami effects and causes
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(Based on the December 26th attack)
What Are Tsunamis, and What Causes Them?
Tsunamis are ocean waves produced by earthquakes or underwater landslides. The word is Japanese and means "harbor wave," because of the devastating effects these waves have had on low-lying Japanese coastal communities. A tsunami is a series of waves that can travel at speeds averaging 450 (and up to 600) miles per hour in the open ocean. As the waves approach the coast, their speed decreases and their amplitude increases.
Tsunamis are most often generated by earthquake-induced movement of the ocean floor. Landslides, volcanic eruptions, and even meteorites can also generate a tsunami. Areas at greatest risk are less than 25 feet above sea level and within one mile of the shoreline.
From an initial tsunami generating source area, waves travel outward in all directions much like the ripples caused by throwing a rock into a pond. As these waves approach coastal areas, the time between successive wave crests varies from 5 to 90 minutes.
Their Effect…
…on lives
Most deaths caused by a tsunami are because of drowning. Associated risks include flooding, contamination of drinking water, fires from ruptured tanks or gas lines, and the loss of vital community infrastructure.
…on hygiene
Contrary to popular belief that rapid burial is essential to prevent outbreaks of disease, post-disaster, a report by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) says: “ dead bodies pose a negligible risk ”.
…on the infrastructure
With most people focusing their attention on the losses suffered by the fishing community, in the aftermath of the tsunami, Tamil Nadu’s (deprived of aid) coastal farmers have to come to terms with destroyed crops, damaged soil and devastated livelihoods.
Scores of farmers in Tamil Nadu face an uncertain future as the water that engulfed their fields, washing away crops, has left the soil saline and uncultivable. Although the extent of the damage is yet to be fully assessed, officials say that a substantial proportion of cultivable land has been contaminated by salt water.
…on tourism
Tourism constitutes a major sector of the Indian economy and it will be correct to say that it has been affected due to the tsunami tragedy.
Tourists who were planning to go to the south – eastern coastal regions have cancelled their bookings at the last few minutes. Travel agents have had to deal with these last-minutes cancellations and there will be an immediate impact on the travel industry for India.
Tsunamis can go the same speed as a jetliner and that massive wave can out run the fastest runner. When there is a lot of waves at once, or the water goes back that is a sign that a tsunami is coming. If that tsunami is far then people need to get to the tallest and strongest building there is in the city that way they are safe and helicopter can pick them up. Tsunamis can wipe out an entire city or 1/4 of the country. Tsunamis can last up to an hour, or more.
The tsunami in Thailand that occurred on December 26, 2004, was by far the largest tsunami catastrophe in human history. It was triggered by a magnitude 9.1-9.3 earthquake along the Indian-Australian subduction zone off the northern coast of Sumatra. The tsunami waves traveled primarily in the east to west direction and caused major damage along the coasts of southern Thailand. Unpredictably, it was a violent earthquake beneath the sea that initiated the massive waves and struck more than a dozen countries in Southern Asia. It also destroyed thousands of miles of coastline and even submerged entire islands permanently. Throughout the region, the tsunami killed more than 150,000 people, and a million more were hurt, homeless, and without food or drinkable water, making it perhaps the most destructive tsunami in the modern history. In spite of peninsular Thailand's location facing the northern part of this subduction zone, the lack of any written historical records, together with the lack of any major local seismic activity, the tsunami caused thousands of fatalities and huge economic losses in the popular tourist regions in Thailand. Immediately after the disaster, numerous organizations and individual citizens have helped out and contributed to this devastating tsunami. Indeed, the tsunami in Thailand was a worldwide event, with significant wave action felt around the world. In this context, I am focusing more on the key features of the tsunami’s natural causes, the psychological effects on citizens, the perspective of socio-economic impacts and the consequences of the tsunami calamity.
A tsunami is a series of waves “created by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or meteorite” (ready.gov). Tsunami waves are quite different from normal waves. Once a tsunami is set in motion there is no way to really “prevent” it fully, or to stop such an event. Precautionary steps can be taken, such as in Japan where a sea wall was built to protect people and property. However, this was a futile attempt since in 2011 a tsunami was able to surge over the wall, with the water building up and rushing over the top. The lesson learned is that one should not
TOHOKU, Japan, Friday, Mar. 11 -Yesterday, a 9.0 magnitude Earthquake struck the east of Tohoku, Japan. The epicentre of the earthquake was located approximately 72 km east of Tohoku (38.3 degrees North latitude and 142.4 degrees East longitude), or 130 km east of Sendai as shown by the X in figure 3 below. The focus of the earthquake was 24.4 km under the epicentre. The earthquake therefore caused a tsunami due to the displacing of water above the Pacific Plate. The earthquake and tsunami together have caused approximately 20,000 deaths, 6152 injuries and 2500 people missing. Approximately 90% of these deaths were by drowning. Approximately 140,000 people have been displaced and over 500,000 buildings and structures have been destroyed or damaged. The early warning system of Japan stopped many bullet trains, and many residents received texted warnings of the earthquake and tsunami on their mobile phones giving them time to evacuate. Figures 1 and 2 show exactly how destructive the tsunami caused by the Tohoku Earthquake was.
“God’s own country, “Kerala, is a coastal state. It is dotted with small fishing villages. In the 1970s, high waves would wash away many villages with routine hits. So, every year the affected fishermen and women would receive a government compensation for clothing, blankets, nets and even replacement huts. In 1974, an architect living and working in Thiruvananthapuram approached the Chief Minister and suggested an alternate solution. He proposed that instead of giving away State resources as compensation each year,
Tsunamis caused by the Earthquake leads to flooding along the coastal environment. This damages any homes. Flooding caused new lakes or sag ponds on the land. Increasing groundwater flow from springs and displacing stream channel. ("Flood Consequences")
Richard Lewis was writing the book “The Killing Sea.” The author, Richard Lewis wrote the book because he had lesson he needed to teach one lesson: always help others. On page 26, The tsunami hit the city and caused many destructions. “The ocean had risen into a wobbling cliff of water, sunlight glinting off the towering face.” This explains that Sarah and Peter had to cooperate with their parents get to safety before the wave hit. The only problem was that the wave was crashing down on them. According to the article, “Indian Ocean tsunami: Then and now” by Lucy Rodgers and Gerry Fletcher. “A decade ago, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded struck off the coast of Indonesia, triggering a tsunami that swept away entire communities around the Indian Ocean. About 228,000 people were killed as a result of the 9.1 magnitude quake and the giant waves that slammed into coastlines on 26 December 2004.” Stating, when the earthquake occurred there was a tragic incident that happened afterward, the tsunami. Many of the villages and homes had been destroyed and nothing was left. “The waves stripped vegetation from mountain sides hundreds of metres inland, capsized freighters and threw boats into trees.” As a result of, The tsunami reached all the way to le Mameh. It was a very terrifying experience for Sarah, Peter, and
Additionally, this earthquake occurred on a thrust fault. This fault was a subduction zone slip which occurred primarily beneath the ocean were the Pacific plate plunges underneath the North American plate. This sudden upward movement of the sea floor along the rupturing fault generated a massive tsunami. This vertical deformation
An earthquake occurs abruptly and causes severs damage to people, property, landscape and more. A great mega-thrust earthquake, known as the Great Tohoku Earthquake has shaken Japan at 5:46:24 UTC on March 11, 2011. It caused a severe disaster, including tsunami and nuclear radiation exposure.. This mega-quake located at the latitude 38.297 degree North and longitude of 142.372 degree East, near the east coast of Honshu, Japan (USGS, 2013). An earthquake and tsunami waves caused widespread damage to many areas of Japan. People in Japan are still recovering from the damages.
“Reverse faults are the primary cause of the largest tsunamis. This is when two plates collide and one plate is lifted over the other plate. While these plates are generally in constant motion. it is at the junction of their boundaries where the plates are locked together and the stress between them begins to build. As the two plates remain locked together, stress continues to build at their intersection. As a result, the sea floor is pulled down with a corresponding rise on the continental side of the fault” (Generation of a Tsunami…). Most of the tsunamis are caused by earthquakes. An earthquake can cause the tsunami by, once an earthquake happens on the seafloor, large pieces of rock move past each other very suddenly, causing the water above to move. Once the earthquake happens, the large, fast-moving, waves move away from the spot the earthquake had happened towards land. 15% of all damaging tsunamis were triggered by strike-slip earthquakes. However, this type of earthquake is less likely to trigger a tsunami than one with vertical motion. Tsunamis are generated by associated landslides or motion of a sloping bathymetry (seafloor) feature and normally affect regions near the source only.The less common cause of a tsunami is a large volcanic eruption causing
The hotel industry is an important component of the tourism industry. The fortunes of the hospitality industry have always been linked to the prospects of the tourism industry. Tourism is the foremost demand driver of the industry. Along with the tourism industry, the Indian hospitality industry has also emerged as one of the key industries driving the growth of the services sector and, thereby, the Indian economy.
There was a multitude of causes of the disaster in Japan. The first cause was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast of Japan. Japan is located in “The Ring of Fire,” an area in the Pacific Ocean that has multiple faults and earthquakes (Pedersen 13). Tectonic plates shifted off the North Pacific coast of Japan and created a massive earthquake. The next cause was a thirty-three foot wall of water that swept over cities and farmland in Japan (Branigan 2). Martin Fackler, a journalist, stated, “The quake churned up a devastating tsunami” (Fackler 3). The tsunami reached speeds of 497 miles per hour while approaching Japan (Fackler 3). The third and final reason of the disaster was that the cooling systems at multiple nuclear power plants failed. At Fukushima, a nuclear power plant in Sendai, Japan, the radioactive rods began to overheat due to the absence of water, which cools it. Explosions occurred at three of the reactors, which spewed radiation into the air (“Comparing nuclear power plant crises”). In conclusion, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant issues were the causes of the disaster in Japan, but they also had a myriad of effects.
Is it just a big mistake? Is it really the salt 'fault'? Are there any solutions to fixing this problem? These are some of the questions many people should be asking before deciding if salt is a friend or foe. Instead of just following whatever others say, people should know exactly how soil salinity is affecting crops and why this is happening.
Tourism is the one of economic and social activities that increasingly vital. Number of travellers domestic and international is increasing. In fact, several countries in present world develop tourism sectors as primary sector which generate national income. According to Salah Wahab and Cooper (2003). Tourism is also sector which involves role that mutually link between government, private sector and also public.