Tsunamis and Water Quality - Is There a Correlation?

The world recently witnessed again the devastating impact of earthquakes and their aftermaths. The enormous 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile in February was followed by tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean. While the earthquake-caused tsunamis were not nearly as devastating as those that occurred in Indonesia in 2004, we once again witnessed just how catastrophic they can be.

Thankfully, the loss of life wasn't nearly as bad in the recent Chile earthquake and tsunami aftermath as what occurred in Indonesia, but the environmental impact still could be significant.

Experts point out that a variety of negative consequences can follow a tsunami. First, depending on its severity, a tsunami can cause salt water to infiltrate water wells; in addition, the flooding from tsunamis can virtually destroy many wells. In fact, according to sciencedaily.com, residents of Sri Lanka who experienced the deadly 2004 tsunami are still struggling with water quality issues caused by the devastating impact of the tsunami. Once a well has been destroyed or severely contaminated, residents are forced to secure their water someplace else, something that isn't always as easy as it sounds.

In addition to salt water contamination and the destruction of wells, tsunamis also have the potential to pollute wells and water supplies with other contaminants, thus confirming their uselessness.

Even if you live in an area that is not subject to coastal flooding, the recent earthquakes and tsunamis should remind us all of their devastating impact and of our diligence in achieving and protecting our safe water supply.

Scott Noble is the official spokesperson for http://www.WaterFilters.NET - Our filter store stocks filters, replacement filter cartridges, and filtration systems for all your water treatment needs. We carry top brands in our $1 million dollar inventory including Culligan Water Filters, Pentek Water Filters, GE Water Filters, Everpure Water Filters, Maytag Water Filters, and more. We stock whole house filters, reverse osmosis systems, replacement cartridges, faucet filters, o-rings, under sink filters, refrigerator filters, and more.

Fat Tsunami - How to Avoid This Recurring Unnatural Disaster

Every day millions of people experience the dreaded fat tsunami.

The sad fact is some people experience the fat tsunami so often they begin to accept it as normal. When I say fat tsunami I'm not talking about the ocean either. Some people may be used to this phenomenon and not even know it occurring. If someone does not notice it, when they do, the fat tsunami can be a life changing event.

The fat tsunami is when you feel the waves of fat all over your body.

The magnitude of the fat tsunami is different for every person and no one is immune.

As personal trainer, fitness enthusiast and bodybuilder I go through bulking and cutting phases throughout the year. The last bulking phase I was eating a lot, getting stronger and gaining what I thought was muscle.

My bulking phase came to an abrupt end.

A client was punching and kicking me during kickboxing training and I felt an unusual phenomenon. The reverberations from the kicking and punching on the kicking pad went through my body and caused the dreaded fat tsunami. I felt shaking of the subcutaneous fat which is fat under the skin. This put an end to my bulking cycle. The next week I did cardio every day and changed my diet to eat fewer calories and more fresh fruits and vegetables. I could not handle another fat tsunami.

If this can happen to a fitness enthusiast and personal trainer it can happen to anyone.

One of my most successful clients cites the fat tsunami for giving him the motivation to change the shape of his body. He was riding in a car on a bumpy road and noticed something which particularly bothered him. You guessed it; he was experiencing a fat tsunami all over his body. The next day he found my website, started a personal training program and joined weight watchers. Forty five pounds later he still remembers the feeling of the fat tsunami which he gives credit for controlling his diet and motivating him to continue his exercise program.

Does exercise stop the dreaded fat tsunami?

Whether you are obviously overweight or not so overweight but still experience symptoms of the fat tsunami there is much you can do about it. The first rather obvious solution is to start exercising. Weight training increases your metabolism. Cardiovascular training can burn off excess calories in the way of fat. A combination of the 2 is a superb way of synergistically increasing results.

It takes proper nutrition will stop the fat tsunami in its tracks.

Nutrition is even more important than exercise if you want to stop the fat tsunami. If you are not significantly overweight you may simply be retaining extra water due to excess sodium intake. Sometimes this retained water can make you feel as if you are fat even though you are not. You also may be bloated. This could be caused by eating something which does not agree with you or something you are unknowingly allergic to.

If you are overweight the next time you feel the fat tsunami let it serve as a warning sign. If you do not clean up your diet and start exercising you increase the risk of developing adult onset diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease among other problems. This article is meant to be fun, but I assure you having hypertension, atherosclerosis and diabetes is no laughing matter.

About the Author:

San Francisco Personal Trainer Michael Behnken, MS, NASM-CPT-PES, CSCS - http://AskTheTrainer.com

How Dangerous Are Tsunamis, Really?

Since 2004, when the first big Tsunami occurred, we all realize how dangerous a Tsunami can be. Tsunamis are mainly caused by lifting sea floor and transferring the energy to the water. They can also be caused by underwater volcanic eruptions and even landslides.

Thousands of people lost their lives and the coastal areas were completely destroyed. The problem with a Tsunami is nobody can predict when and where it happens.

Even a strong earth quake under the sea is not predicting how much power the wave has, when the Tsunami travels thousands of kilometers on the ocean surface to an island or continent.

Even today the U.S. Geological Survey is not able to tell us the potential risk level of a Tsunami. They have data of the earthquake, but they can only assume the danger of a Tsunami. Since the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, we know how difficult it is to predict a Tsunami and its strength or direction.

Except for the largest Tsunamis in 2004, only a few Tsunamis have giant breaking waves. Often small Tsunamis are coming to the shores and are seen as strong and fast-moving tides.

Small Tsunamis happen every day. They are very often to far away from land or they are too small to have any effect when it hits the shore.

Researches provide information that The Pacific Ocean is creating most of the worlds Tsunamis. This is because of many existing volcanic undersea eruptions and overlapping sea plates. For example other countries are affected many hours later, when a large Tsunami occurs at the deep sea of South America.

Many scientists are working hard to install a global warning system for predicting Tsunamis, but the equipment for detecting and measuring dangerous Tsunamis is not giving enough data to provide good advice.

In any case it is better to warn the population, even when the waves are small and not noticeable as a Tsunami.

Peter DD Vizard has been writing articles online for nearly 4 years now. Not only does he specialize in diet, fitness and weight loss, you can also check out his latest website http://www.DiscountWoodWindowBlinds.com/ which reviews blinds like the popular Roman Window Blinds

Danger in the Pacific - The Samoa Tsunami

With the help of my colleague, Alex Molina, I recently wrote about the realistic danger that tsunamis posed to the west coast of the United States.

I had vastly underestimated the damage a tsunami can do, and the last two days, after reading about the 8.3 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that followed, I also got to watch the Pacific Ocean's tsunami warning system in action.

In the case of Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga, the earthquake's epicenter and aftershocks were in some cases less than 100 miles from the coastlines. This meant that the early warning system had little time to warn anyone. At this time, over 111 people are reported missing or dead from the three Pacific territories, and that count is expected to be considerably higher once emergency personnel make it to hard to access, outlying areas. In some cases, the waves came as far as a mile inland.

From reports from the wire services and people I've talked to in American Samoa, the only immediate warning for the tsunami most people received were the cell phone calls made by forward-thinking family. Common sense dictated that if an earthquake was both near enough and powerful enough to damage buildings, a tsunami was on its way. While many villages were literally swept completely into the Pacific Ocean, most people managed to get to high ground and escaped with their lives.

In the future, these three areas, particularly American Samoa, since it is under jurisdiction of FEMA and the US Government, will have to improve their Tsunami warning system up to the high standard set by the state of Oregon, which includes blue sirens all along the coast, and regularly scheduled tsunami drills in all the public schools.

Now for the good news

Otherwise, the new system in the Pacific seems to be working well. In all fairness, the tsunami that hit American Samoa was practically a point-blank shot and we did not have the benefit of the buoys to warn us of what was coming. Once the tsunami had time to move out and start hitting buoys, however, we had a clear picture of when the waves would hit Hawaii, Japan, the west coast of the United States, and other Pacific area at risk.

Warnings were made well in advance, and ships were able to seek deeper, safer waters, tsunami watches and warnings went into effect, and quickly out of effect, once the NOAA knew the waves had lost considerable power and size and represented little threat.

Even in far away, Venice Beach, California, lifeguards advised people to get out of the water in advance of the waves, and the tsunami showed up right on time. Apparently there wasn't much punch left, but I'm sure the state of California is relieved. Still, the unfortunate and low lying town of Crescent City, California was battered by a 1.5 foot peak over normal tides - a size comparable to the largest waves to hit Hawaii after the quake. State officials, knowing the town's vulnerability to tsunamis, were able to take the right precautions, however, and other than a scare to the local fish, no one was harmed and no property damage was reported.

Putting this into perspective

As we speak, a much deadlier weather event has left over 300 dead and thousands homeless, as Typhoon Ketsana has slammed into the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia. As much as 80% of Manila is underwater. A second quake hit Indonesia today, a 7.6 magnitude quake, scaring everyone up into the hills. Considering it was an 8.0 quake in the same area that prompted the 2004 Tsunami of infamy, I can't say they overreacted. If I felt a strong earthquake on any coastline, I would hightail it at least a mile into the hills as well.

The tsunami that resulted from it was less that a foot, smaller than what hit Hawaii or Crescent City, California from the Samoa earthquake. Officials were able to call off the warnings and people soon returned to their normal lives.

In the world of extreme weather events, we can only still guess at exactly what a hurricane will do or where it will go. This is true of many weather events, be they floods, tornadoes, even a wildfire. Earthquakes are the worst of all, and give no warning, but unless you are close to the epicenter, tsunamis are at least predictable in the Pacific, thanks to the work of the US and Japanese governments.

At this point in time, we have the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, headquartered in Hawaii, that watches all the tidal buoys in the Pacific Ocean at all times and gives us a very clear picture of what is going on out there. While they can't do much to warn of a tsunami when it first starts it's trek from the ocean floor, they certainly can track it within a few minutes of when it will land.

My heart goes out to the victims of Typhoon Ketsana and the recent Samoan tsunami, but I'm relieved that our relatively new typhoon tracking system has seen it's first real test.

Many scientists agree that at some point in the 21st century, we will see a quake and tsunami on the scale of the Cascadian Tsunami from 300 years ago. Without a working warning system in place, the results could be far worse than the Indonesian Tsunami of 2004.

Now that our tidal warning system has seen a full dress rehearsal, I feel much better about being prepared if the big one does indeed come.

For those who are interested, you can read my writeup from last week, Tsunamis in America: Can They Happen Here? Part 1.

Ryan W. Campbell is an assistant editor for the newly launched Pameno.com. You can read more of his work there.

Ryan is from the Texas Gulf Coast and is a 16 year veteran of the United States Navy. He's a fan of motorcycles, extreme weather, camping, and fishing.

Tsunami Defined

Tsunami is a Japanese term that describes a large seismically generated sea wave which is capable of considerable destruction in certain coastal areas, especially where underwater earthquakes occur.

In Japanese, "Tsunami" means "Harbor Wave" or "Wave In The Harbor" It is now internationally accepted as the term that defines a "Seismic Seawave."

In South America, the term "Maremoto" is frequently used to describe a Tsunami.

Tsunami is pronounced: (sue-NAM-ee)

Tsunami's have been incorrectly referred to as "tidal waves." A tidal wave is a non-technical term for a shallow water wave caused by the gravitational interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth (high water is the crest of a tidal wave and low water is the trough).

Tsunami's are formed by a displacement of water. This can come from the slippage of the boundaries between two tectonic plates, volcanic eruption, under-water earthquake, or even landslides.

Out in the open ocean, Tsunami's might only be 1 meter in height, but as it reaches the shore in shallow water, it can rise to heights of 15-30 meters or more. Think about how a normal wave comes into a shore: the water moves away from the shore and then comes crashing back. This movement "heightens" the destruction power of a Tsunami.

Tsunami's can also reach speeds ranging from 400 to 500+ miles per hour... about the same speed as a jet airliner.

The enormous energy that a Tsunami can possess allows it to travel across entire oceans. They often proceed as an ordinary gravity wave... having a 15 to 60 minute intervals.

From a destruction perspective, Tsunami's have cost not hundreds of thousands, but millions of human lives over the recorded history of Earth.

Sources: U.S. Geological Survey & Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

Resource Box:

Joe Upsurge is a freelance writer and author with a personal interest in Tsunamis and other seismic wave research.

Tsunami Warning System Trends in 2006

After the Christmas of 2004 Sumatra Earthquake, which triggered the Indonesia Tsunami killing over 100,000 people it was determined by scientists and observers that if they had a better warning system that many of those people would not have died at all.

Former Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush and President William Jefferson Clinton while doing their fundraising promised to make that early warning system a reality. This pledge was further reiterated by our current President George Walker Bush, who under the guidance of his scientific team determined that the United States also needed a better warning systems in some part of our nation, although many places already had such installed.

Tsunami Warning Systems will now be installed throughout out our coastlines to protect all those living near the ocean. Many poorer nations do not have such systems yet desperately need them. Many places in South America, Africa and Central America are completely without Tsunami Warning Systems currently.

The oceans on our planet are scattered with Subduction Zones similar to the one, which triggered the Tsunami in Indonesia. We will see a trend in Tsunami Warning Systems technologies being set up throughout the world and this trend will continue in 2006 and beyond. Think on this.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

TSUNAMI The Next Big Wave:The Grandaddy of Them All

A few days ago on Melbourne's 60 Minutes, renowned scientist Dr Kerry Sieh predicted the guaranteed next big wave or giant Tsunami will definitely happen, and it will be the Grandaddy of them all.

Indonesia gets the full force this time around ... When?... whether it be in a few months, or in a decade is all Dr Sieh cannot accurately predict at this present moment.

Kerry Sieh, a Geology professor at the California Institute of Technology, knows Indonesia's earthquake zone like the back of his hand ... and he did in fact predict the first earthquake that hit parts of Indonesia on Boxing Day. Now he predicts another Tsunami will hit, and this will be the grandaddy of them all!

From Melbourne MSN Channel 9's Sixty Minutes Richard Carleton explains why the earthquakes and ensuing Tsunami's occur:

RICHARD CARLETON: Dr Sieh's focus is on the faultline, 5000km long, where moving plates of the earth's crust grind against each other. The plate under the Indian Ocean slides beneath Indonesia, much like the disappearing stairs on an escalator. But some sections get stuck and then later snap upwards, releasing gargantuan force.

DR KERRY SIEH: The plates get hung up and they can't slip past each other, so the upper plate gets dragged down as this plate sinks and with it, the islands get dragged down, slowly but surely, and when the earthquake happens, they pop back up and out.

RICHARD CARLETON: And that's what happened last Boxing Day. The quake jolted the mainland so violently that people were thrown to the ground.

What a pointless waste of life! ... Dr Sieh warned the governments concerned ahead of time, he even went down personally and alerted inhabitants of the affected villages in Indonesia to protect themselves against the Tsunami he just knew would happen ... but nobody paid any attention to him ... now when he walks into these same villages, he is welcomed and treated as a hero !

From his 14 satellite research station, high in the mountain tops of the humid Indonesian jungle, Dr Sieh now predicts the next Tsunami will hit:

.. and the precise location .... right opposite the city of Padang in Indonesia ... inhabitants: 1 million people!

Repeat: All he cannot pinpoint is when ... this disaster could be in months, the next decade or in a hundred years!

The city of Padang is base for Australian surfers who go there to surf the waves of the Menwawais ... where some of the best surfing breaks in the world may be found .. as an Australian citizen this is startling news.

Geographically, the city of Padang would have difficulty dealing with a high tide, the devastation caused by the grandaddy of Tsunamis is incomprehensible.

Imagine a mere 15 minute warning before the earthquake ..

... and then the waters of the giant Tsunami gushing down the streets of Padang, just like it did in Banda Acheh washing everything away in its stride ..

... a moving torrent of cars, oil, broken trees and precious human life!

My call to all my fellow Marketers, the Search Engine Optimization community, Retail colleagues and anyone who reads this post: do everything in your power to reach your readers in Indonesia, particularly the city of Padang, they need to take heed and make adequate provision, to stop the pointless human slaughter this time around.

Whether this be in the form of lobbying your local Government bodies, or through local press release, we must help this time, before the devastation of this giant wave; the grandaddy of Tsunami's takes away more precious human life.

But above all do this in a responsible manner .. causing wide spread panic amongst unworldly village inhabitants or your worldwide audience will not help at all.

Melbourne's 60 Minutes at MSN Channel 9 has the whole story including a video of the interview available at their site . The video version is half-way down the page. Due to the ever changing nature of News, I cannot guarantee how long this link will be up.

Whilst this news is hardly topical for an internet marketing and search engine optimization Blog, as a parent the irreversible damage to our environment has me greatly concerned ... please do whatever you can to stop this alarming trend.

Entire article available at:

Marketing Defined on the next big Tsunami

Copyright 2005 Marketing Defined. All Rights Reserved.

This article may be reproduced in its entirety, with no alterations. The resource boxes, live URL's and Author Bio must be included.

Roseanne van Langenberg is a Marketing Consultant and Publisher from Melbourne, Australia. Roseanne shares her findings on legitimate back-door search engine optimization and internet marketing techniques, for online blogs, which earned her a No. 1 ranking at the new MSN search engine, at the Marketing Defined seo and internet marketing Blog.

7 Great Life Lessons From Tsunami Survivor

As I am writing this article, the world is shaken by the tsunami that hit Asia on 26 December 2004. It is only now that we start understanding the greatness of the tragedy.

But it is also at such moments that we can see examples of outstanding people's bravery and courage. And you know, they don't even think about themselves as brave, they simply did what they thought was right.

I am referring to the story of Phuket's resident Bill O'Leary, a former Australian, who saved many lives.

Just 2 minutes before the first wave hit, he received a phone call from his employee, who was on the beach where the company's office is located, "The shoreline receded 250 meters past the swim platform".

O'Leary was in the sea with guests of his cruise company and his 3 children on the board. He knew the news spelled big trouble. The swim platform was anchored 8 meters deep. He also remembered a shake he felt earlier that morning.

Not many people in Thailand knew about tsunamis but Bill immediately recognized the warning signs. Without delay, he phoned his offices and major hotels, telling them to remove people off the beach, "A tsunami is coming. Clear the beach and get people to high ground." He also asked other people on the boat to make phone calls to places they knew.

Then he headed out to the sea to face the giant wave. Bill was on the other side of the island, further away from the upcoming tsunami He was in open water when he received the call from the same employee that tsunami hit the Phuket's beach. Bill pulled back the engines and waited. Then he saw it. A 5-meter step on the water traveling faster than any wave he'd seen before. He directed the boat right at the step and jumped on.

The guests and children were terrified as the boat was riding the wave and everybody was screaming. Bill managed to keep the boat straight until the waves passed. Looking back they could see a wall of water washing off small boats and fish farms ashore. But O'Leary and his crew were safe.

And so were many people that got the 2-minute warning from him. They ran to high grounds and survived. One of the hotels on the beach that got the call, the Marriott, did not have anyone died.

But there also were people who ran back to their homes to fetch some valuables, and who died holding those valuables.

And here are the seven great life lessons we can learn from Bill O'Leary, a tsunami survivor:

1. If you live in the front row, this is where tsunamis hit.

Oceanfront homes come with drawbacks. Have an exit plan in case of emergency and learn the warning signs.

2. A tsunami does not come unannounced.

There ARE warning signs, always. Keep your feelings alert and you should not miss them. If there is a sudden change, seek an explanation.

3. If you know about a problem, alert others.

Don't be afraid to be a Chicken Little. The sky may be really falling.

4. When smell danger, it is wise to run away.

When your gut feeling alerts you, don't freeze. Do something. The problem will only get worse if you wait. If you don't know what can be coming, ask others for help. If there is nobody around to help, simply run. Trust your gut feeling. If you feel unsafe, remove yourself from the situation immediately. Stop a date and excuse yourself. Jump off the car on the traffic light. It's better to be silly than dead.

5. If you cannot run away from the danger, face it with courage.

Jump on the wave and keep your boat straight. Be totally fearless. Fight, if you have to.

6. No matter what happens, keep your cool.

There is no sense in panicking. Don't let your fears or anger overwhelm you. In any situation, the first question you should ask yourself is, "What can I do about it?" Decide on the course of actions and carry on.

7. You are priceless.

You life is thousands times more valuable than anything you own. If you smell danger, forget about your purse, cash or a family memorabilia. Even if you have nothing, you will be still the same person you are today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Elena Welon is the webmaster of FREE online personals http://www.Match-Seeker.com - a popular meeting place for thousands of singles seeking dating, love and relationships. There is NO charge for posting your profile or writing to members. Come and meet our great members and find your match.

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Tsunami Preparation

Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning "harbor wave". It is unlike a tidal wave, in that it can start after an earthquake, building momentum under the water as it moved inland, so that a boat out on the water may continue on without occupants realizing the force moving under it towards the shore. It can also be caused by volcano eruptions and landslides.

The people on the coast would be quickly experiencing the effects once the tsunami reaches land. A tsunami is many waves coming in, moving in several hundreds of kilometers or miles per hour under the surface of the ocean. When they reach shallow water they break into very powerful and sometimes gigantic waves, which can occur over a series of hours. You may think the worst is over, when really it is yet to come. This is why leaving the coastal area for inland and higher ground is crucial and going to the shore to keep an eye out could be a mortal decision. You should seek ground 15 meters or 100 feet higher than sea level. The most dangerous of areas is the land one mile within the shore and less then 25 feet above sea level.

 

When an earthquake in December 2004 resulted in a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the waves that came onto the coastal land were up to 60 feet in some areas. Eleven countries by the Indian Ocean were hit, but the impact of the tsunami was felt around various parts of the world, even as far as Peru. Over 200,000 people lost their lives.

 

Countries and coastal areas have their own set of emergency notification responses from tsunami warnings. They can range from warnings and watches to letting the public know all is clear and the tsunami advisory is now cancelled. Sirens or telephone relays, broadcasts over radio and television are all ways different communities handle tsunami warnings.

 

If you are on a boat when the tsunami warning comes in, plan to leave the inland area of the harbor and head out towards deeper water. If there has been a strong earthquake in the area you are in, it is safer to travel by foot unless you are disabled, as roads could be damaged, trees and bridges could have collapsed, etc.

 

If you have time, take your hopefully prepared emergency survival kit with enough supplies for at least 3 days. Return home or to your original location only when the tsunami warning has been lifted and people have been advised they can return to the coastal area.

Does the daily news make you wonder if you are covering your bases in being prepared for various emergency situations, not only to ensure safety measures for yourself but also your loved ones and pets? If this is one of those topics you put on the back burner, take some time to slot it into your schedule - getting prepared. You'll feel better knowing you are taking precautions and having resources at your disposal. Great peace of mind! For informative information at your fingertips, visit www.emergencydisasterplan.net

Can You Outrun a Tsunami

Try to imagine a solid block of ocean hundreds of miles long, 3 miles deep, and as wide as the coastline, coming toward you at 500 to 600 miles an hour. That describes a tsunami in deep water racing toward land. A tsunami's speed slows as it encounters the coastline but the total water mass is still moving at 20 to 25 mph just before surging ashore. Maybe a world class distance runner who runs a 4- minute mile can stay ahead of an oncoming tsunami, but most of us are not world class runners. If it comes down to a race, the tsunami will win and the runner will lose almost every time. A tsunami rolling onshore is massive, powerful, and destroys everything in its path.

A major tsunami can start when sudden slippage occurs in a seafloor fault, triggering a major earthquake in the magnitude 8.0 to 9.0 range, and causing the seafloor on one side of the fault to sink and on the other to uplift, all in a matter of minutes. The earthquake plus the radical seafloor deformation displaces vast amounts of water, upsets the ocean's equilibrium, and sets a tsunami in motion.

A tsunami produced by this kind of event will tend to have long wavelengths, deep water columns, and high rates of travel speed. A wavelength is the distance between the crest of one wave and the crest of its trailing wave. The speed is determined by the ratio of the depth of the ocean to the length of the wave. The deeper the water and the longer the wave, the faster the tsunami moves. For example, a major earthquake and seafloor deformation at a depth of 20,000 ft. can initiate a tsunami with a wavelength of 175 miles, a water column depth of 15,000 ft., and a speed of between 500 and 600 miles an hour.

To illustrate the gradual drop in tsunami speed, when the depth decreases to 13,000 feet, the 15,000 ft. water column begins to drag the bottom, the wave length shortens to about 130 miles, and the speed drops to around 440 mph. At 6500 ft. depth, the wavelength shortens to less than 100 miles and the speed drops to around 300 mph. At 150 ft. depth, the wavelength reduces to 30 miles and the speed to approximately 100 mph. In 30 feet of water just before surging onshore, the wavelength is down to 6 miles and the tsunami's speed is 20 to 25 mph.

The height of the wave on the ocean's surface in deep water will tend to be only 2 to 3 feet and hardly noticeable among the normal ocean swells. A tsunami will usually pass unnoticed under the keel of a boat or ship in mid ocean, even though the wave may be as high as 100 feet when it surges onshore.

When the water depth decreases and the leading edge of the wave slows, the following wave at the tail end of the long trough is still traveling at a higher speed and rapidly closes the gap. The height of the tsunami increases dramatically as it nears shore due to compression from shoaling and from the rapidly closing trailing wave, and may be squeezed up to 100 feet high when it hits the beach. The 100-ft. towering wall of water is most often associated with shallow bays and narrow inlets where the tsunami acts like a giant tidal bore. On a broad beach type of coastline, the tsunami tends to come ashore as a rapidly rising sea. Along the broad beaches of Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, the 2004 Indonesian tsunami produced a sudden 30-ft. rise in sea level that surged onto land so quickly that few could get away. Over 225,000 people died in 8 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

Following the magnitude 9.1 Indian Ocean earthquake on December 26, 2004, in areas east of the epicenter Sumatra and Sri Lanka the trough of the first tsunami wave reached land ahead of the crest. When the trough arrives first, a phenomenon called drawdown occurs. If recognized, it can act as a warning for people in the area to move to higher ground before the tsunami hits. When drawdown happens, the sea level appears to sink and the tide recedes rapidly, leaving hundreds of yards of empty ocean bottom exposed. The drawdown is followed almost immediately by the oncoming crest and accompanying sudden rise in sea level as the tsunami charges full blown onto land. In areas west of the epicenter Thailand and India the crest and sudden rise in sea level struck first, without warning.

Since a tsunami tends to be made up of several waves, called a train, the waves in the train can hit at intervals of up to a half hour or more, depending on the length of the trough. The first wave to hit land is not always the largest. Frequently, it is the second or third wave that will prove to be the most destructive.

The distance a tsunami can travel inland once it hits the coast depends on the size of the wave and the slope of the land. The size of the wave is expressed as runup, a term meaning the height of the wave over mean high tide. In flat, low-lying areas, a major tsunami with a runup of 30 feet or more can reach areas 2 miles or more from the shoreline with devastating power.

If you are on or near the coastline when a tsunami warning is issued by your local authorities, follow evacuation directions and clear the area immediately. If you hang around to see how big the wave is, and then try to outrun it, you are almost certain to lose the race and your life.

Award-winning author Gordon Gumpertz is a former advertising agency owner and copywriter, a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild, a UCLA graduate, and an instrument-rated private pilot. A native Californian, he lives with his wife Jenny in Palm Desert, California, only a few miles from the San Andreas Fault, where the Pacific Plate collides with the North American Plate. For more information about the author and his book TSUNAMI, visit http://www.tsunaminaturaldisaster.com/

German Memory In Asia - A Tsunami Mission On The Shores Of Bay Of Bengal

While I was approaching the edge of the Indian Ocean, I observed there were some sea gulls speedily hurrying from sea to land. I was terrified thinking that another tsunami was approaching us. Though I didn't feel any strong quake, I was aware that an earthquake can trigger killer waves thousands of miles across the ocean and could generate hours later the tsunami waves.

I observed closely the Indian Ocean to see whether there was a difference since an approaching tsunami is preceded by a noticeable fall in the water level. A big wave was on its way.

I had heard of stories how people were killed, when they went down to the beach to view the retreating ocean exposing the sea floor unaware that the strange phenomenon was a forerunner of killer waves. I made a quick retreat to a nearby high ground. When I turned and looked at the German Praktikum (Internship) students they were at a distance discussing something with some locals.

The tsunami expert's recent statement that a receding ocean may give only five minutes' warning to evacuate the area has started to bristle within me, because tsunamis can approach the shore as fast as 100 miles per hour. I realized it would be too late to see the wave and then confirm whether the tsunami was on the way.

Though I moved back to the ruined high ground, I started to observe again the ocean movements. There were no receding waters but large waves had come towards the shore. It was so horrific to think that many of the tsunami victims were seen being swept out to sea when the ocean retreated.

A tsunami surge may be small at one point of the shore and large at another point a short distance away. I didn't want to assume that this was a minimal sign of a tsunami and was trapped by the retreating tsunami flood later on from other directions. I further went near the high ground and approached the place where the German students were. I was comparatively in a safe place and a little relieved from the tsunami fear. I observed a number of wrecked boats were on the ruined buildings.

As tsunami wave activity is imperceptible in the open ocean, if those vessels had not returned to port they might have escaped that fatal end. The way the boats had been flung to the interior of the land and the extent of the wreckage frightened me how the tsunami can cause rapid changes in water level unpredictably with dangerous currents and cause massive destruction in the harbor and port areas. If the fishermen had the right information on time and took their vessels out to sea, they might have saved their lives and boats as well.

The Pacific Ocean is fixed with sensitive recorders on the sea floor to measure pressure changes in the overhead water, sending the information to sensors on buoys, which, in turn, relay the data to satellites for immediate transmission to warning centers. As there was no warning system for tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, the tsunami eluded and caused the worst disaster in the history of the Indian Ocean Rim countries.

We moved towards the narrow lane, which was now everywhere covered with the sand and debris. We found it difficult to determine whether the lane through which we were walking was a busy thoroughfare just a few days ago. We were roaming over the ruined buildings and then walked along the beach. It was difficult to reconcile to the fact that a once flourishing heavily populated coastal hamlet had been annihilated in just a few minutes. Meanwhile the German T.V. crew was busy, documenting those devastations.

The LTTE member who was familiar with that area pointed at a ruined road and told us it was a marine drive earlier, linking the coastal areas. He told how the sea had made incursions into the land.

The tectonic plates at the bottom of the southern Andaman - Nicobar Island had been shifted upward and the seabed subsequently. The tectonic plate movement and the tsunami tidal waves are not new to this world. Tectonic plate movements have taken place for billions of years resulting in tidal waves as well when they emit energy out to the surface as massive earthquakes. Turning my direction towards the north, I was reminded of how some thousand years ago the city of Poompoogar was sunk by tidal waves.

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Tsunami Warning Signs

Awareness of Tsunami Warning Signs is vital when travelling through or living in tsunami prone areas. An earthquake is a natural tsunami warning. If you feel a strong quake, do not stay in a place where you may be exposed to a tsunami. Listen to the radio or television for any information or alerts. If you are subscribed to TsunamiSMS make sure your mobile phone is always switched on and that the ring tone is loud enough to hear, even when you are asleep. If you have not yet taken the precaution to subscribe to TsunamiSMS, click here.

Witnesses have reported that an approaching tsunami is sometimes preceded by a noticeable fall or rise in the water level. If you see the ocean receding unusually rapidly or far it's a sign that a big wave may be on its way. Go to high ground immediately or make your way at least five kilometers inland.

Remember that a tsunami is a series of waves and that the first wave may not be the most dangerous. The danger from a tsunami can last for several hours after the arrival of the first wave. A tsunami wave train may come as a series of surges that are five minutes to an hour apart. The cycle may be marked by a repeated retreat and advance of the ocean. Stay out of danger until you hear it is safe.

A tsunami surge may be small at one point of the shore and large at another point a short distance away. Do not assume that because there is minimal sign of a tsunami in one place it will be like that everywhere else.

Stay away from rivers and streams that lead to the ocean.

Subscribe to a Tsunami SMS Warning System to protect yourself and your loved ones.

David Willis is the owner and founder of TsunamiSMS.com, a unique SMS tsuanmi warning system. Following the recent devastating Asian tsunamis, David was appalled at the death, injury, suffering and damages. Believing that something major needed to be done and could be done to save lives, he created his unique website giving subscribers, anywhere in the world, the opportunity to receive an accurate tsunami warning message in the form of a mobile/cell phone SMS. For more information, log onto http://www.TsunamiSMS.com.

How Safe Would a Boat Be During a Tsunami?

I recently completed an article about the possibility of using a boat in place of a vehicle for your BOV. In the same article I stressed that one of the major downfalls of this idea was the possibility of Tsunami's occurring. Since this possibility is a real threat I thought it would be best to follow up and discus this issue in a bit more detail.

The NOAA has stated that since tsunami activity is increased greatly in the open seas there are certain cautions you should observe. As a pilot aboard an ocean vessel you should never attempt to return to your home port or any port for that matter if you are already at sea and the authorities have issued a warning in your area. The problem with Tsunamis is that they can quickly change the water levels and produce unpredictable and dangerous currents within boat docking areas. As the owner of a boat it would be in your best interests to maneuver your vessels further out towards the sea assuming there is time to do so. Generally people are forbidden from remaining on their boats when notification are issued for an approaching tsunamis.

Do not be misled by thinking that this ocean phenomenon only occurs in places such as the Asian theater or the surround locations of the Indian Ocean, for you would be falsely assuming. During the 1985 mainland earthquake that devastated Mexico City a tsunami was generated shortly after. In Nicaragua in 92 the town of Popoyo was completely wiped out along with 300 deaths as a result of a tsunami. The town of Pisco in Peru has been destroyed at least four times in the last five centuries by tsunamis. This tells me that no place is safe from a possible tsunami.

Several governmental agencies including FEMA and NOAA have increased their awareness of the possibility of a tsunami appearing along the United States coastal areas. It was this concern that initiated the program intended to predict the tsunamis arrival. As the tsunami begins crossing the ocean it passes over a series of sensitive recorders located on the sea floor. These instruments measure the various pressure changes felt in the ocean waters overhead. This information is then relayed to data satellites and ultimately transmitted to NOAA warning centers.

Even though we have all this sophisticated equipment a person still has to use common sense in making decisions. As an individual, in the event that you receive word of an exceptionally strong earthquake occurring in your vicinity do not remain there and wait for the official tsunami warning. Immediately get out of the way. If you are on land move to higher ground. If at sea in your boat you should do your best to reach some sort of shore however in the event that is impossible move to a safer location afloat and hold on tight.

Accounts from the logs and interviews with ship captains who have sailed over a particular region when an earthquake occurs have reported that they felt as if their ship had been hit by a pile of rocks. although in reality the ship was thousands of feet above the water. There were consistent reports of violent shaking as well as loud sounds of booming. This is a result of energy being radiated from the center of the earthquake in the form of what is called compression waves. These waves are similar to sound waves but as the compression waves strike the bottom of the vessel they bounce off and cause shaking.

In the event that you are a good distance from the earthquake you can expect that the tsunami was actually generated and you will eventually be hit by it. This results in your boat being at the mercy of the rising and falling of the sea current level. If you are at your dock the boat may hit the bottom of the sea or on the other hand float up until your anchor line is stretched to its max. Therefore the safest place would be in deeper water of perhaps 150 feet or more.

I have merely touched upon the subject in this short article and recommend that you contact your local coast guard unit for additional learning material. The USGS has published a pamphlet entitled "Surviving a Tsunami, the Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan" which is well worth reviewing.

How safe would a boat be during a Tsunami?

By Joseph Parish

Copyright @2010 Joseph Parish

www.survival-training.info

For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.info.

Surviving A Tsunami - Tips To Prepare For A Tsunami Alert

Until December 2004, most of us thought of tsunamis as the makings of a good disaster movie, if we knew what "tsunami" meant at all. But with the awful devastation of 2004, we realized how much damage a tsunami can do.

What a Tsunami Is

Tsunamis are not large tropical storms caused by high winds. They are the result of undersea geological events like volcanoes, landslides, or earthquakes that occur with massive tectonic displacements. Earthquakes that reach 6.5 or above (Richter scale) can produce devastating waves that move at up to 300 miles per hour, reach heights of 100 feet, and last from several minutes to several hours from first wave to last surge.

In the open sea, the tsunami may not be noticeable, but when they enter shallower waters, the begins to "pile up" on itself, creating a massive wave that can destroy tall buildings and even travel inland for miles with great power.

Where Tsunamis Strike

Coastal areas in the Pacific Ocean basin are the most frequent targets of tsunamis, reflecting the greater vulnerability related to the famous "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates meet to form a great circle on the sea floor. Japan has experienced many tsunamis. In fact, tsunami is a Japanese word. They've also hit Alaska and Hawaii in the Pacific Basin and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the Atlantic basin.

The Indian Ocean area has experienced many tsunamis as well, the 2004 tsunami taking more than 250,000 lives and destroying billions of dollars in property.

Preparing for a Tsunami Emergency

If you are in the water and feel a strong earthquake, leave the water immediately, getting as far from the beach as you can. Try to go to high ground, or go inland as far as possible if the ground near you is flat.

If you can see the incoming wave, you can't escape it. You simply don't have time. The best thing to do in that case is to get as high as you can as quickly as you can.

If you sense a strong earthquake and you are not at the beach, tune your radio to a local station that broadcasts during emergencies. They will notify the public in case a tsunami watch or warning has been issued, and they will let you know where emergency relief centers are.

At this point, you should know where your family members are. Make sure everyone knows about the alert. You should have an agreed-upon meeting place in case you're not all in the same place when the emergency is announced. Your meeting location should be as far from the shore as possible but not so far that people can't get to it in time.

Be sure to prepare for family members with special needs. If your family includes elderly, ill, or small children, be prepared to have help for them or try to evacuate them early. You may also want to prepare to evacuate your pets as well, bringing emergency food and water for them.

You should have prepared emergency supplies in your home. Bring them with you when you evacuate. At least take fresh water, some food, and extra clothing. Most important, have a first aid kit in case of injuries.

If you have time, you might try to secure your house, but not at the risk of your own life. There is little you can do to protect your possessions from an incoming tsunami, so focus on saving lives first.

Tsunami Watch or Tsunami Warning

The two terms have important different meanings. When authorities issue a tsunami watch, it means that a tsunami is possible, but no one has reported seeing one or a sighting hasn't been verified yet. A watch may include estimates for when and where a tsunami may strike.

When they issue a tsunami warning, it means that a tsunami has been reported and confirmed. By the time they issue the warning, the tsunami could be close. The warning will also let you know where to expect it to strike and when.

During the Wave

If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself at the mercy of an incoming tsunami, climb onto a rooftop or the highest point you can reach. The more stable the building, the safer the support will be. But get as high as you can no matter what. Hold on as tight as you can to any stable and heavy object available. If you must, climb a tree.

If you've already been overtaken by the water, grab something floating that's large enough to support you and hold onto it until you can find stable ground or get help. Grab anything that seems firm and try to get out of the water. The current will be strong, and you could be hurt by debris in the water. If you can get any part of your body out of the water, do so.

You have to accept that tsunamis, like most natural disasters, are uncontrollable. You will have the earthquake warning to give you time to escape.

Keep your head. Remain calm. The better prepared you are, the better your chances of surviving.

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