Sidebar: The largest tsunami wave ever recorded happened in 1958. An earthquake triggered a massive rockslide on the shore of Lituya Bay in southeast Alaska. Almost forty million tons of rocks splashed into bay. The sudden impact generated a tsunami that crashed against the other shoreline, flooding the area. The local tsunami traveled down the length of the bay and into the Gulf of Alaska, taking millions of trees as it blasted through the water. The wave reached a run-up height of 1,720 feet. A run-up height is the most height a wave reaches onshore before it starts to recede, or go back. This kind of tsunami is sometimes called a splash wave. Splash waves are caused by objects splashing into the sea and displacing the water.
All waves are …show more content…
A steep cliff will absorb the impact. Coastlines that have gentle slopes or are exposed to the open ocean are more vulnerable. The tsunami slows down and becomes more powerful as it crashes its way to land, rather than being stopped by a barrier. That wave might first appear as a shallow trough, which is the low point beneath the crest of the wave. It sucks water back and exposes the land. This sudden retreat of water is a common natural warning sign of a tsunami. In a few minutes, the wave 's huge crest and the energy that comes with it will hit the shore.
Sometimes the tsunami loses energy when it runs into a bay, entrance to a river, or structures in the water. But with nothing in its way, a tsunami can come in as a huge wave. It can also surge like a high tide gone out of control, spreading farther and farther inland. The energy in a tsunami can blast through and destroy anything in its path. People have often said that a tsunami sounds like a freight …show more content…
Scientists continue to use seismic monitoring stations to detect and record earthquake action. Geologists who study plate tectonics are learning ways to predict the likelihood of an earthquake. They use specialized sensors to detect movements in Earth 's crust. Coastal tide gauges are also still used to watch for changes in sea level. But now scientists have deep-ocean tsunami detection buoy systems that can observe and record changes in the sea level. A buoy system has a seabed detector that is placed on the ocean floor. This tsunameter acts as a pressure sensor, measuring the change in the height of the water column by checking changes in water pressure. A buoy on the water surface receives the information from the sensor and then relays it to a satellite. All the information is transmitted to scientists at tsunami warning centers. These scientists work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to monitor the information relayed from the detection system. They sort through a database and compare the information with known tsunami characteristics. This helps them to predict where a tsunami might go and how powerful it might become. New systems are being developed that can also estimate additional properties of a potential tsunami and its possible effect on coastal areas.
In 2004 there were only six modern systems in place. There were none in the Indian Ocean. Most communities had no national warning centers
All waves are …show more content…
A steep cliff will absorb the impact. Coastlines that have gentle slopes or are exposed to the open ocean are more vulnerable. The tsunami slows down and becomes more powerful as it crashes its way to land, rather than being stopped by a barrier. That wave might first appear as a shallow trough, which is the low point beneath the crest of the wave. It sucks water back and exposes the land. This sudden retreat of water is a common natural warning sign of a tsunami. In a few minutes, the wave 's huge crest and the energy that comes with it will hit the shore.
Sometimes the tsunami loses energy when it runs into a bay, entrance to a river, or structures in the water. But with nothing in its way, a tsunami can come in as a huge wave. It can also surge like a high tide gone out of control, spreading farther and farther inland. The energy in a tsunami can blast through and destroy anything in its path. People have often said that a tsunami sounds like a freight …show more content…
Scientists continue to use seismic monitoring stations to detect and record earthquake action. Geologists who study plate tectonics are learning ways to predict the likelihood of an earthquake. They use specialized sensors to detect movements in Earth 's crust. Coastal tide gauges are also still used to watch for changes in sea level. But now scientists have deep-ocean tsunami detection buoy systems that can observe and record changes in the sea level. A buoy system has a seabed detector that is placed on the ocean floor. This tsunameter acts as a pressure sensor, measuring the change in the height of the water column by checking changes in water pressure. A buoy on the water surface receives the information from the sensor and then relays it to a satellite. All the information is transmitted to scientists at tsunami warning centers. These scientists work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to monitor the information relayed from the detection system. They sort through a database and compare the information with known tsunami characteristics. This helps them to predict where a tsunami might go and how powerful it might become. New systems are being developed that can also estimate additional properties of a potential tsunami and its possible effect on coastal areas.
In 2004 there were only six modern systems in place. There were none in the Indian Ocean. Most communities had no national warning centers