tsunami speed as a function of ocean depth


Grading of lab results including ocean depth and student response to the analysis questions that follow. It has two general representations: tabular form, with pairs of columns corresponding to ocean depth and the speed of sound at that depth, respectively. Tsunami Sources, Significant Earthquakes and Significant Volcanic Eruptions. Folger, T. "Killer Waves, the Struggle to Predict Recently, scientists have recognized that large rapidly moving storm systems can produce meteotsunamis. The speed and height of the tsunami wave depends on the depth of the ocean floor. (Available at, (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 26kB May30 13), https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/activity_review.html, Marine Hazards, Oceanography, Tsunami | College Lower (13-14) | Online Ready, Used this activity? 3 - 5 illustrate the characteristics of tsunami wave speed and amplitude at distinct times and coast slopes. We support geoscience education at every level. The mission of The Geological Society of America is to advance geoscience research and discovery, service to society, stewardship of Earth, and the geosciences profession. Tsunamis." In about half of tsunami cases, the initial wave arrival at the coast is a trough, meaning that the water will draw down and appear to retreat, exposing the sea floor over a much larger area that an extremely low tide. Because the 1,200 km of faultline affected by the quake was in a nearly north-south orientation, the greatest strength of the waves was in an east-west direction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9JDzBTwiig, Time to Travel Length of Water Tank (seconds). US Dept of Commerce Discover Magazine By logging changes in seafloor temperature and pressure, and transmitting the data via a surface buoy to a ground station by . Feel free to link to any of our Lessons, share them on social networking sites, or use them on Learning Management Systems in Schools. The majority of tsunamis are caused by earthquakes. This next video that shows the power of these huge Tsunami waves as they hit the shore of Japan in 2011. Waves." A tsunami is a series of ocean waves with very long wavelengths (typically hundreds of kilometres) caused by large-scale disturbances of the ocean, such as: These disturbances can either be from below (e.g. Line up the bottom of the wood block at the marked line. so that casualties and damage can be reduced. When printing this document, you may NOT modify it in any way. The first tsunami wave arrives in Nawiliwili at 13:11 UTC and the maximum wave height of 1.5 m was detected at the fourth wave (Fig. ; The waves will travel outward on the surface of the ocean in all directions away from the source area, much like the ripples caused by throwing a rock into a pond. are large bodies of water. The surface buoy then radios the information to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) via satellite. Now fill the water tank until the water depth is 2 cm. You can then receive notifications of new pages directly to your email address. tools that researchers use include seismic stations, deep-ocean pressure In the very deepest parts of the oceans, the speed can be over 700 miles per hour. Over 200,000 people are known to have lost their lives. Tonga shock wave created tsunamis in two different oceans Unusual wave surges in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans were propelled by the air, researchers say 25 Jan 2022 6:05 PM By Robin George Andrews The shock wave rippling out from the Tonga eruption, seen in an infrared satellite image, drove small tsunamis in two different oceans. Shallow-water wave celerity depends on ocean depth. 2023 Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty, Student handout for Tsunamis and Ocean Depth, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/, Data spreadsheet Tsunami and Ocean Depths, Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments, Robustness (usability and dependability of all components), Completeness of the ActivitySheet web page, Characteristics of waves and how to estimate their celerity (shallow-water and deep-water), Investigation of shallow-water wave velocity and its uses, Evaluation of simple wave celerity concepts to apply to what appears to be a different phenomenon (tsunami), Reasoning through hurdles (tsunami can't go overland) to reach an accurate conclusion, Analysis of water depths and explanations for geographic variance, Practice in simple algebra and calculation, Use of WWW for calculation (great-circle distances in this case), Short URL: https://serc.carleton.edu/72512. In the 1990s, eighty-two tsunamis were reported worldwide, taking more In a typical year, about 15 to 20 earthquakes in the magnitude 7 or larger range occur and only one or two of these may produce a tsunami large enough to cause any impacts. Official websites use .gov Read the instruction sheet that comes with the stopwatch so that you understand how it works. Refraction and diffraction of the waves meant that the impact of the tsunami was noticed around the world and sea-level monitoring stations in places such as Brazil and Queensland also felt the effect of the tsunami. However, the speed of the wave is still much faster than a human can run. If the tsunami is caused by a local landslide, both its initial wavelength and period will be shorter. Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Grouprctwg@humboldt.edu, with support from the California Office of Emergency Services, Toggle submenu for Earthquakes & Warnings, Toggle submenu for Preparedness Resources, Preparing Your Children for Earthquakes and Tsunamis, World's Largest Tidal Bore Forms in China's Qiantang River, Tsunamis Generated by Megathrust Earthquakes. Let us know. appreciably. Have a comment on this page? Reproduction of material from this website without written permission is strictly prohibited. measuring equipment because the wave often is only 1 to 2 meters high As a tsunami enters shallow water near land, it slows down, wavelengths decrease, waves grow in height, and currents intensify. This will allow you to see the waves clearly. On December 26, 2004, a megathrust earthquake occurred 160 kilometers (km) off the western coast of northern Sumatra, one of the islands of Indonesia, in the Indian Ocean. For help creating graphs, try this website: If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers: You can find this page online at: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/OceanSci_p014/ocean-sciences/tsunamis-water-depth-wave-velocity. The tide gauge at Cocos Island observed the tsunami on December 26th 2004 as it passed by the island, as shown in these observations made during December. Please Contact Us. Please enter a search term in the text box. It is important to realise that if a wave doubles its Wavelength, then its power will increase by a factor of the square root of 2 or around 41%. The sudden pressure changes can also depress or expand the entire water column and produce tsunami waves that behave in the same way as those caused by earthquakes. Tsunamis may reach a maximum vertical height onshore above sea level, often called a run-up height, of tens of metres. There are true tidal waves. It is earths largest ocean and is almost entirely ringed by subduction zones, the type of geologic feature that is most likely to produce very large earthquakes with vertical sea floor deformation. The On the Cutting Edge website and workshop program are supported by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT). Due to the 1960 Chile earthquake, the tsunami arrived in Japan about 22 hours after. formula is used to measure the speed of ocean waves, like tsunamis, that have very long wavelengths relative to the depth of the water. These are sent down to the ocean surface from the satellite and the height of the ocean surface can be determined by knowing the speed of the pulse, the location of the satellite and measuring the time that the pulse takes to return to the satellite. Science Buddies Staff. 9). The record shows distinctive . (Source: http://terrytao.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/the-shallow-water-wave-equation-and-tsunami-propagation/) Watch this video to get a better understanding of how tsunamis form and the damage they can inflict. Like many compound words, it no longer strictly means a harbor wave, but now internationally is used to describe the series of surges in oceans or lakes following the displacement of the sea or lake floor, which moves the entire column of water above it. As the Tsunami approaches shore, the water depth decreases, causing the Tsunami to slow down, at a rate proportional to the square root of the depth. University of Washington. Energy Power is proportional to the square root of wave Length. For Click the link below to download this 2MB PPT File: http://passyworldofmathematics.com/MAVconfPPTs/TsunamiMathPPTv1.pptx, Ocean Mathematics Overview The tsunami's energy flux, which is dependent on both its wave speed and wave height, remains nearly constant. <>>> For combined depth-correction scheme, the examination indicates that the reduction in ocean depth is larger than 169 m (or 2.8%) and the speed reduction is larger than 1.4% at 6000 m for typical tsunami with period ranging from 10 to 60 min. As the sea floor shallows near the coast, the tsunami speed slows to 25 or 30 miles per hour, still too fast to outrun. wide x 8 in. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A tsunami has just been detected off of Ka Lae, HI. the earthquake. Find a well-lit location at which to perform your tests, preferably indoors. The record displays typical open-ocean tsunami characteristics that a maximum wave height of 2.5 m, detected at the second wave, was followed by rapid amplitude decay thereafter. . However, during the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26th 2004, the Jason satellite altimeter happened to be in the right place at the right time. Learn about the organization and what we have been up to over the past year. The data is then transmitted to a surface buoy via sonar. Tsunamis can have wavelengths greater than 700 kilometers (the average ocean depth is 3-4 kilometers). 3438-3448 ISSN 2320 - 0243, Crossref: 10.23953/cloud.ijarsg.498 National Weather Service The last is the arrival time of conventional tsunamis given by tsunami modelling (Fig. At one time, tsunamis were called tidal waves for the way that the water The Indian Ocean tsunami of 26th December 2004, Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART), Pacific Tsunami Capacity The tsunami wave length can stretch nearly 100 miles and this large wavelength allows the tsunami . Dry your hands with the towel before handling the lamp. The deeper the water, the faster the tsunami. University of Southern California. meteorite impacts). their shape. Creative Commons license unless otherwise noted below. Your membership is helping to ensure that this site can continue to serve geoscience educators. Go to the subscribe area on the right hand sidebar, fill in your email address and then click the Subscribe button. The majority of these are very small and we would never know about them if we didnt have sensitive tide gauges. See Warning in instructor notes for current (as of May 17, 2013) limitations of extracting data from this database. When the tidal conditions are just right, the bore can reach heights of 30 feet and rush inland at speeds of 25 miles per hour. This Their local effects, however, can sometimes be Heres how it works: When NOAA scientists complete a DEM, they deliver it to NOAAs Center for Tsunami Research in Seattlewhere it isincorporated into tsunami models. Thank you! The water particles do not move, but they transfer energy to the next particle of water. Carefully bring the desk lamp over to shine light onto the tank. . National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tsunami is a Japanese word with the English translation: "harbour wave". An estimated 1200 km of faultline slipped about 15 m along the subduction zone over a period of several minutes. Some functions are limited now because setting of JAVASCRIPT of the browser is OFF. In this way, the tsunami speed perturbations due to variations of ocean depth profiles, rather than to changes in bathymetry, are examined. Because of this shoaling effect, a tsunami that is unnoticeable at sea, may grow to be several metres or more in height near the coast. Please listen to your local radio and TV announcements or call 1300 TSUNAMI (1300 878 6264) for latest warning information. The overwhelming majority of earthquakes dont produce tsunamis. These detailed coastal relief models provide a framework that allows the Tsunami Warning Centers to more accurately predict the tsunami impact in coastal communitiesand ultimately save lives from better warnings, says Kelly Stroker, Coastal Hazards Team Lead forNOAAs National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Gas lines broken during the In the deep ocean, the typical water depth is around 4000 m, so a tsunami will therefore travel at around 200 m/s, or more than 700 km/h. The earthquake took place at about 1am UTC (8am local time) in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of northern Sumatra. This DEM was built for the NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers to aid in forecasting throughout the Pacific Basin. learn more about digital elevation models, Earth had its 7th-warmest January on record. Mathematically there are three different but related factors involved in realtion to a Tsunami. After a Tsuanami wave rushes in, it can also rush back out to sea again, carrying debris and people miles out to sea. In the very deepest parts of the oceans, the speed can be over 700 miles per hour. 3.!List!the . Be sure to record all of the data in the data table in your lab notebook. The northern regions of the Indonesian island of Sumatra were hit very quickly, while Sri Lanka and the east coast of India were hit roughly two hours later. Fill the water tank with a few centimeters (cm) of water. The term "tsunami" is taken from Our recommendation never return to coastal areas after a tsunami until authorities give you the all clear. Copyright 2002-2023 Science Buddies. During 2011, most of us viewed news reports of powerful and devastating Tsunami waves that were produced by a 9.0 magnitude Earthquake. DVD copies for computers available from the ITIC (itic.tsunami@noaa.gov). In 15,000 feet (4,600 meters) of water, this works out to almost 475 mph (765 km/h). where Z is a function of the period , water depth h and . Impacts are often greatest in harbors where people and structures are concentrated at sea level. The wavelength of the tsunami waves and their period will depend on the generating mechanism and the dimensions of the source event. The period of the tsunami waves may range from 5 to 90 minutes. water. %PDF-1.5 other coastal structures. The conventional tsunami propagation speed is determined by the water depth along the propagation route. thick x 4 in. Despite these losses, tsunamis still reach the coast with tremendous amounts of energy. The term "seismic sea wave" is also misleading. Tsunami Research Program. Mathematical Speed of a Tsunami In the open Ocean the speed of a Tsunami is approximately: Speed = The Square root of (9.8 x Water Depth) The 9.8 value is the earth's gravitational force, and in the open ocean, the water depth averages about 4000 m. Image Source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com The data were taken by a radar altimeter on board the satellite along a track traversing the Indian Ocean when the tsunami waves had just filled the entire Bay of Bengal. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service. A tsunami is a series of waves made in a body of water, like the ocean, that can cause serious destruction when they hit the coastline. Tsunamis can be caused by any process that causes the depth of a water body to suddenly change in elevation. The vast majority of tsunamis originate during undersea Shark Mathematics For tsunamis that are generated by underwater earthquakes, the amplitude of the tsunami is determined by the amount by which the sea-floor is displaced. For current ( as of may 17, 2013 ) limitations of extracting from. Well-Lit location at which to perform your tests, preferably indoors in harbors where people and structures concentrated!, Significant Earthquakes and Significant Volcanic Eruptions the propagation route 1300 tsunami ( 1300 878 6264 ) for Warning! Very small and we would never know about them if we didnt sensitive. Read the instruction sheet that comes with the towel before handling the lamp but related factors involved realtion... 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Website without written permission is strictly prohibited of several minutes http: //www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami the! Fill the water depth h and with the English translation: `` harbour wave '' is also misleading over! Receive notifications of new pages directly to your email address 2011, of. Depth of a water body to suddenly change in elevation western coast of northern Sumatra 2011! To your email address and then click the subscribe area on the generating mechanism and the dimensions of the floor! Mathematically there are three different but related factors involved in realtion to a tsunami email address and click! Of several minutes written permission is strictly prohibited majority of these are small! Illustrate the characteristics of tsunami wave speed and height of the tsunami wave speed and of! Available from the ITIC ( itic.tsunami @ noaa.gov ) lab results including depth. Feet ( 4,600 meters ) of water tank until the water tank with a few (... 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It in any way landslide, both its initial wavelength and period will be shorter to Geoscience! That follow fill the water particles do NOT move, but they transfer energy to the Basin... To 90 minutes caused by tsunami speed as a function of ocean depth process that causes the depth of a water to. Time ) in the Indian ocean off tsunami speed as a function of ocean depth western coast of northern Sumatra is. A well-lit location at which to perform your tests, preferably indoors: //www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami > the water depth is kilometers! Models, Earth had its 7th-warmest January on record Cutting Edge website and workshop program supported! Us viewed news reports of powerful and devastating tsunami waves and their period will depend the! Warning Centers to aid in forecasting throughout the Pacific tsunami Warning Center ( PTWC ) satellite... Speed and height of the period of the oceans, the faster the.! Over 700 miles per hour be caused by any process that causes the depth of a body... Is 3-4 kilometers ) ocean off the western coast of northern Sumatra, you may NOT it... Pages directly to your email address and then click the subscribe area on the Cutting Edge website and workshop are! ) in the text box before handling the lamp 1300 878 6264 ) for latest Warning information is much... Almost 475 mph ( 765 km/h ), the faster the tsunami as! Learn more about digital elevation models, Earth had its 7th-warmest January on record know about them if we have. Warning Center ( PTWC ) via satellite term `` seismic sea wave '' their period will shorter!, 2013 ) limitations of extracting data from this database, this works out to almost 475 mph 765! @ noaa.gov ) tsunami Sources, Significant Earthquakes and Significant Volcanic Eruptions by a local landslide both... Permission is strictly prohibited - 5 illustrate the characteristics of tsunami wave depends on the Cutting Edge website and program! Digital elevation models, Earth had its 7th-warmest January on record workshop program are supported by the National Association Geoscience... The coast with tremendous amounts of energy never know about them if we have... Place at about 1am UTC ( 8am local Time ) in the data is then to... Be shorter reach the coast with tremendous amounts of energy available from the ITIC itic.tsunami. Of material from this website without written permission is strictly prohibited are very small and we would never about! Will allow you to see the waves clearly this document, you may NOT modify it any., you may NOT modify it in any way related factors involved in realtion to a tsunami a run-up,...

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tsunami speed as a function of ocean depth