Tsunami is a Japanese word Tsu means ‘harbour’ and nami means ‘wave’. They are called tidal waves but they have actually nothing to do with the tides. However their appearance from shore is similar to rapidly rising or falling tides. Tsunami is a series of wave created when water is moved very quickly. Tsunami is gravity wave system, triggered by vertical disturbances in ocean. They are long waves sometime with hundreds of miles b/w their crests, just like the concentric waves generated by an object dropped into a pool. First tsunami was recorded in 1480 B.C. in eastern Mediterranean, when the Minoan civilization was wiped out. A large tsunami accompanied by the earthquake of Lisbon in 1755. The Kutch earthquake of June 16, 1819 generated strong tsunami which submerged the coastal areas and damage to ships and country made boats of fishermen. North and South American records have dated such events back to 1788 for Alaska and 1562 for Chile. Records of Hawaiian tsunami go back to 1821. Tsunami hits the Mona Passage off Puerto Rico in 1918, grand banks of Canada in 1929.

1. TSUNAMI
PRESENTED BY
SOUBAM INDRAKUMAR SINGH(Ph.D)
DEPT .BOTANICAL AND EVS
GNDU,AMRITSAR

2. CONTENTS
1. Tsunami
2. History of Tsunami
3. Causes of Tsunami
4. Characters of Tsunami
5. Where does it occur
6. Effects of Tsunami
7. Warning and Monitoring of Tsunami
8. Prevention
9. Brief summary of Tsunami 2004

3. TSUNAMI
 Tsunami is a Japanese word Tsu means ‘harbour’ and
nami means ‘wave’.
 They are called tidal waves but they have actually nothing
to do with the tides. However their appearance from shore
is similar to rapidly rising or falling tides.
 Tsunami is a series of wave created when water is moved
very quickly.
 Tsunami is gravity wave system, triggered by vertical
disturbances in ocean. They are long waves sometime
with hundreds of miles b/w their crests, just like the
concentric waves generated by an object dropped into a
pool.

4. HISTORY
 First tsunami was recorded in 1480 B.C. in eastern
Mediterranean, when the Minoan civilization was wiped
out.
 A large tsunami accompanied by the earthquake of
Lisbon in 1755.
 The Kutch earthquake of June 16, 1819 generated strong
tsunami which submerged the coastal areas and damage
to ships and country made boats of fishermen.
 North and South American records have dated such
events back to 1788 for Alaska and 1562 for Chile.
Records of Hawaiian tsunami go back to 1821.
 Tsunami hits the Mona Passage off Puerto Rico in 1918,
grand banks of Canada in 1929.

5. CONTD….
 Hawaiian tsunami on 1 April 1946 destroyed the city
of Hilo, killing 159 people. Other recent tsunami that
have hit Hawaii are those of 1952,1957,1960,1964 and
1975 .
 Total 65 destructive tsunamis struck Japan between
684 A.D to 1960.
 On 16 August 1976, a large earthquake in the Moro
Gulf in the Philippines generated a destructive local
tsunami which killed over 8,000 persons.
 Christmas tsunami 2004 in Indian ocean.
 And last one Japan Tsunami in 2011.

6. TSUNAMI "WAVE TRAIN”
Many people have the mistaken belief that tsunamis are
single waves. They are not. Instead tsunamis are "wave
trains" consisting of multiple waves. The chart below is
a tidal gauge record from Onagawa, Japan beginning at
the time of the 1960 Chile earthquake. Time is plotted
along the horizontal axis and water level is plotted on
the vertical axis. Note the normal rise and fall of the
ocean surface, caused by tides, during the early part of
this record. Then recorded are a few waves a little
larger than normal followed by several much larger
waves. In many tsunami events the shoreline is
pounded by repeated large waves.

8. CAUSES OF TSUNAMI
1. Earthquake
2. Icefall
3. Volcanic eruptions
4. Heavy rainfall
5. Cosmic impacts
6. Landslide

9. % CONTRIBUTION TO TSUNAMI

10. 1. Earthquake - The Major Cause
The Sea floor abruptly deforms and displaces the sea water lying
above. Large vertical movements of earth's crust can occur at
plate boundaries which are called “faults”.
2. Volcanic Eruptions-Volcanic eruptions create disturbance
undersea by creating great force and thus generate tsunami.

11. 3. Icefall
• If their height is larger than their
width, they can be unstable
following break off and roll over,
potentially creating a giant wave.
Iceberg capsizing poses the least-
recognized practical hazard to
humans of the tsunami-causing
mechanisms related to calving of
ice masses
4. Heavy Rainfall
• Heavy rainfall cause overflow of
water and generate tsunamis

12. 5. Cosmic Impacts
• When a meteorite or an alien
force impact the ocean area
disturbing the water from above ,
tsunami is caused.
6. Landslides
• When there is large landslide in
mountains in the sea, the tsunami
is caused and effect fell at bays.

13. WHY TSUNAMI IS DESTRUCTIVE
1. There is no effect of Tsunami in the sea, even if we are only
half to one kilometer from coast.
2. Tsunami may come in waves with a time gap of 40 min to 1hr
b/w successive major waves. In one major wave, there may
be up to ten sub waves.
3. Although the speed of the approaching Tsunami waves at
coast gets reduced from 700-800 km to 50-60 km/hr, they
carry enormous energy.
4. The height of waves at coast can go up to 50 to 70 feet. At
point of origin, although there is a large scale displacement of
water, the increase in wave length is a few inches only.
5. The retreating Tsunami waves are as quick and as dangerous
as their approach and cause as much damage.

14. CONTD…..
6. Major devastation is restricted up to 500 m inland.
7. Tsunami causes more havoc along beaches which
have ocean thousands of meter deep near the coast .
In comparison, if the shallow water extends to more
than 100 km the effect will be that much less.
• The fast-moving water associated with the inundating
tsunami can crush homes and other coastal structures.

15. WHERE DO TSUNAMI OCCURS

16. WHERE
• Tsunamis occur most frequently in the Pacific Ocean,
but area global phenomenon; they are possible
wherever large bodies of water are found, including
inland lakes, where they can be caused by landslides.
• Japan is a nation with the most recorded tsunamis in
the world. The earliest recorded disaster being that of
the 684 A.D.

17. TSUNAMI AFFECTED COUNTRIES

18. View of a Tsunami Taken By A Satellite

19. EFFECTS OF TSUNAMI
DESTRUCTION
 The amount of energy and water contained in a huge tsunami can cause
extreme destruction when it strikes land.
 The initial wave of a huge tsunami is extremely tall; however, most
damage is not sustained by this wave. Most of the damage is caused by
the huge mass of water behind the initial wave front, as the height of
the sea keeps rising fast and floods powerfully into the coastal area. It is
the power behind the waves, the endless rushing water that causes
devastation and loss of life.
 When the giant breaking waves of a tsunami batter the shoreline, they
can destroy everything in their path.
 Destruction is caused by two mechanisms: the smashing force of a wall
of water traveling at high speed, and the destructive power of a large
volume of water draining off the land and carrying all with it, even if
the wave did not look large.
 Objects and buildings are destroyed by the sheer weight of the water,
often reduced to skeletal foundations and exposed bedrock. Large
objects such as ships and boulders can be carried several miles inland
before the tsunami subsides.

20.  Tsunami waves destroy boats, buildings, bridges, cars, trees,
telephone lines, power lines - and just about anything else in
their way.
 Especially along a high seismic area, known as the Ring of
Fire, tsunamis may have dramatic consequences as they hit
less developed countries.
 The buildings infrastructure in these poorer nations are not
well built and cannot withstand the impact of the tsunami.
Whole areas and towns are a picture of destruction as the
tsunami leaves at trail devastation and misery behind it.

21. DEATH
 One of the biggest and worst effects of a tsunami is
the cost to human life because unfortunately escaping
a tsunami is nearly impossible.
 People living in coastal regions, towns and villages
have no time to escape. The violent force of the
tsunami results in instant death, most commonly by
drowning.
 Buildings collapsing, electrocution, and explosions
from gas, damaged tanks and floating debris are
another cause of death. The tsunami of December
2004 that struck South East Asia and East Africa
killed over 31,000 people in Sri Lanka only, leaving
23,000 injured.

22. DISEASE
Tsunami waves and the receding water are very
destructive to structures in the run-up zone. The
areas close to the coast are flooded with sea water,
damaging the infrastructure such as sewage and
fresh water supplies for drinking.
Flooding and contamination of drinking water can
cause disease to spread in the tsunami hit areas.
Illnesses such as malaria arise when water is
stagnant and contaminated.
Under these conditions it is difficult for people to
stay healthy and for diseases to be treated, so
infections and illnesses can spread very quickly,
causing more death.

23. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
 Tsunamis not only destroy human life, but have a devastating effect
on insects, animals, plants, and natural resources. A tsunami
changes the landscape.
 It uproots trees and plants and destroys animal habitats such as
nesting sites for birds. Land animals are killed by drowning and
sea animals are killed by pollution if dangerous chemicals are
washed away into the sea, thus poisoning the marine life.
 The impact of a tsunami on the environment relates not only to the
landscape and animal life, but also to the man-made aspects of the
environment. Solid waste and disaster debris are the most critical
environmental problem faced by a tsunami-hit country.

24.  Combined with the issue of waste is that of hazardous materials and toxic
substances that can be inadvertently mixed up with ordinary debris. These
include asbestos, oil fuel, and other industrial raw materials and chemicals.
 Rapid clean-up of affected areas can result in inappropriate disposal
methods, including air burning and open dumping, leading to secondary
impacts on the environment.
 Contamination of soil and water is the second key environmental impact of
a tsunami. Salination of water bodies such as rivers, wells, inland lakes, and
groundwater aquifers can occur in most cases. This also affects the soil
fertility of agricultural lands, due to salination and debris contamination,
which will affect yields in the medium and long term. Sewage, septic tanks
and toilets are damaged contaminating the water supply.

25. COST
 Massive costs hit communities and nations when a tsunami
happens. Victims and survivors of the tsunami need immediate
help from rescue teams.
 Governments around the world may help with the cost of
bringing aid to devastated areas. National institutions, the
United Nations, other international organizations, community
groups and NGOs , and a variety of other entities come together
to provide different kinds of aid and services. There might also
be appeals and donations from people who have seen pictures of
the area in the media.
 The total financial cost of the tsunami could be millions or even
billions of dollars of damage to coastal structures and habitats.
It is difficult to put an exact figure on the monetary cost but the
cost may represent an important share of a nation’s GDP.

26. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS
 Victims of tsunami events often suffer psychological problems
which can last for days, years or an entire lifetime. Survivors
of the Sri Lankan tsunami of December 2004 were found to
have PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) when examined by
the World Health Organization (WHO): 14% to 39% of these
were children, 40% of adolescents and 20% of mothers of
these adolescents were found to have PTSD 4 months after the
tsunami.
 These people were suffering from grief and depression as their
homes, businesses and loved ones were taken from them.
Many still had PTSD. Periliya Village counts 2,000 dead and
400 families became homeless. These people were found to
still have psychological problems 2 years after the tsunami.

28. SIGNS OF AN APPROACHING
TSUNAMI
Often no advance warning of an approaching
Tsunami.
An earthquake felt near a body of water may
be considered an indication that a tsunami will
shortly follow.

29. WARNINGS OF TSUNAMI
 Early warnings come from the nearby animals as they
sense danger and flee to higher grounds.
 Tsunami walls for the reduction in the damage.
 When an earthquake of more than 7.5 on Richter scale is
detected by sensors, placed on the surface of the sea floor
. Tsunami watch is issued.
 If Tidal Stations confirm a follow up wave, Tsunami
Warning follows. Precise time at different points on the
coast can be predicted but the height of waves, its size
and duration cannot be gauzed.
 The Warning is lifted after an area is clear of dangerous
waves for two or more hours.

30. MONITORING OF TSUNAMI
 A tsunami warning system (TWS) is used to detect tsunami in advance
and issue warnings to prevent loss of life and damage. It is made up of two
equally important components: a network of sensors to detect tsunamis and
a communications infrastructure to issue timely alarms to permit evacuation
of the coastal areas.
 There are two distinct types of tsunami warning
systems: international and regional. When operating, seismic alerts are
used to instigate the watches and warnings; then, data from observed sea
level height (either shore-based tide gauges or DART buoys) are used to
verify the existence of a tsunami.
 Other systems have been proposed to augment the warning procedures; for
example, it has been suggested that the duration and frequency content of t-
wave energy (which is earthquake energy trapped in the ocean SOFAR
channel) is indicative of an earthquake's tsunami potential.

31. TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM

32. PREVENTION
 Loss of life and property can be reduced by proper
planning.
 Tsunami warnings can be made to aware peoples.
 Stay away from all low lying coastal areas.
Never go down to the shore to watch tsunami.
 Stay out of low lying danger areas until an “all-clear”
is issued by competent authority

33. TSUNAMI 2004
 The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00:58:53 UTC
on 26 December with the epicenter off the west coast of
Sumatra, Indonesia. The shock had a moment magnitude of
9.1–9.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX.
 Depth: 30,000 m
 Date: 26 December 2004
 Total damage: 19.6 billion USD (2017 USD)
 Location: Banda Aceh, Indonesia
 Number of casualties: 2,50,000
 Did you know: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and
tsunami is the sixth-deadliest natural disaster in history by
estimated death toll (280,000).