Physics behind tsunamis

Sometimes a great danger is hidden behind the visible calm of the ocean surface and suddenly a quiet beach becomes chaos. The sea retracted as if breathing, and after seconds, an overwhelming water wall proceeds with a ruthless force.

You Tsunamis are the brutal energy symptoms transferred on a large scale – Dance of geophysical and hydrodynamic forces that reach the climax in a wave that can pass all oceans at commercial jet speeds.

Understanding the physics behind the tsunamis is not only a matter of scientific curiosity, but also an urgent need in a world where the effect of these events can be a disaster.

Promise “Tsunami” comes from the Japanese and literally means “Porto wave”. The reason for this is that the waves ruined the coastal villages, as the fishermen, who are usually open sea fishermen, did not notice anything unusual.

Unlike wind -produced waves, tsunamis are usually caused by sudden displacement of large volume waters caused by the effects of submarine earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides or more rarely.

Physically, Tsunami, a long -term wave of weight and large wavelength (typically 100 to 500 km) and low amplitude in the open sea – usually less than 1 meter.

“What makes him devastating is the compression of this energy as the wave approaches the beach.”

This is due to energy saving and reducing the ocean depth: The wave rate decreases (less than 50 km/h at a depth of approximately 800 km/h near the shore), the height increases dramatically and may exceed 30 meters in extreme cases.

The equation that defines the rate of spread of a tsunami wave in deep water is V = VGH, where G is the acceleration of gravity (9.8 m/s²) EH is the depth of the ocean.

For an ocean of 4,000 meters, this accelerates 198 m/s (or 712 km/h). This speed explains why a tsunami can reach the distant continents a few hours after the incident that produces it..

The full definition of tsunamis includes moment concepts for the analysis of fluid mechanics, energy saving and analysis of non -linear wave spread. Advanced numerical models based on shallow water equations derived from the Navier-Strokes equation are used to estimate the spread and effect of waves.

Interestingly, tsunamis do not have a single hill like ordinary waves. The minutes called wave trains consist of a series of waves separated by intervals. The first wave reaching the beach is not always the largest, and the phenomenon comes in turn.

Historically, tsunamis left deep traces in human memory. 2004 tsunami produced with an earthquake of 9.1 magnitude on the Sumatra coastIt is one of the most deadly with more than 230,000 dead in 14 countries.

Another bad incident was the tsunami caused by the Japan earthquake in 2011, which provoked the fukushima nuclear disaster. In this case, the height of the waves has exceeded 10 meters in some parts of Japan, exceeded protection barriers and revealed the limits of prevention systems.

The magnitude of the earthquake was estimated to be 8.9 on a Richter scale, and hundreds of atomic bombs were equivalent to energy. Early detection of tsunamis is a scientific and technological difficulty.

Currently, scientists use buoys at the bottom of the sea (such as Dart (such as deep -cecean evaluation and reporting tsunamis).

In the future, calculating modeling, artificial intelligence and promising to improve forecasts for improveing ​​the global sensor network promises to improve and save life. However, the biggest challenge is still the awareness of the people and the preparation of coastal communities.

. Understanding what a tsunamin is, how it occurs and what the signs before the arrival can save countless lives. Effectively integrate the basic concepts of physics and earthlore through the school curriculum, encourage awareness campaigns in the coastal areas, and educate the population for rapid and coordinated responses.

Scientific knowledge becomes a shield against tragedies when they are accessible and constantly shared!