tsunami n : a huge destructive wave (especially one caused by an earthquake) [syn: tidal wave]

English

Etymology

津波 / 津浪 (つなみ, tsunami), seismic sea wave, lit. “harbour wave”.

Pronunciation

• , /tsuːˈnɑːmi/, /tsu:nA:mi/
• , /suːˈnɑːmi/, /su:nA:mi/

  Rhymes: -ɑːmi

Noun

1. A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.

Quotations

Synonyms

• tidal wave italbrac usage conflict

Derived terms

• megatsunami
• teletsunami

Translations

See also

• earthquake
• flood
• natural disaster
• seaquake
• seiche
• tidal wave
• waterquake

Czech

Noun

1. tsunami

Dutch

Etymology

From 津波/津浪 (つなみ, tsunami), “harbour wave”.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tsunami/
• SAMPA: /tsunami/

Noun

1. tsunami

French

Etymology

From 津波/津浪 (つなみ, tsunami), “harbour wave”.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tsy.na.mi/
• SAMPA: /tsy.na.mi/

Noun

tsunami (plural tsunamis or tsunami)

1. tsunami

Japanese

Noun

1. tsunami, tidal wave

A tsunami () is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Earthquakes, mass movements above or below water, some volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, underwater earthquakes, large asteroid impacts and testing with nuclear weapons at sea all have the potential to generate a tsunami. The effects of a tsunami can be devastating due to the immense volumes of water and energy involved. Since meteorites are small, they will not generate a tsunami.

The Greek historian Thucydides was the first to relate tsunamis to submarine quakes, He was thus the first in the history of natural science to correlate quakes and waves in terms of cause and effect:

The cause, in my opinion, of this phenomenon must be sought in the earthquake. At the point where its shock has been the most violent the sea is driven back, and suddenly recoiling with redoubled force, causes the inundation. Without an earthquake I do not see how such an accident could happen.

The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus (Res Gestae 26.10.15-19) describes the typical sequence of a tsunami including an incipient earthquake, the sudden retreat of the sea and a following gigantic wave on the occasion of the 365 A.D. tsunami devastating Alexandria.

Tsunami and the Bible

Some recent work by scholars (Egyptologists, Israeli and others), geologists and oceanographers (including Dr Iain Stewart of University of Plymouth, UK), indicates that the Santorini eruption (about 1615 BC) may have caused the devastation of the Egyptian armies that is mentioned in the Exodus. The Exodus is dated as occurring between 1290 and 1340 BC. It is unlikely that the details were recorded in the immediate aftermath and there was probably a delay in the writing of the account. While there is a discrepancy of about 300 years, given the circumstances surrounding the dating of the Santorini eruption, it is possible that the two events did coincide. Further support for this is that the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean was marshland prior to the construction of the Suez Canal and was a known source of reeds. Is the "Red Sea" a wrong interpretation of the "Reed Sea," and did the Santorini or Minoan eruption coincide with the Exodus? There is ongoing research into this including drilling boreholes to look for tsunamite - the deposit left by tsunamis and other evidence to support or disprove this theory.

See also

• Higher Ground Project
• List of earthquakes
• Meteotsunami
• Megatsunami
• Rogue wave
• Sneaker wave
• Tidal bore
• Tsunami Society
• List of Deadliest Tsunamis
• Earthquake
• Tsunami warning system
• Tsunamis in the United Kingdom
• List of deadliest natural disasters
• Supervolcano
• Hypothetical future disasters
• Minoan eruption

Footnotes

References

• Iwan, W.D., editor, 2006, Summary report of the Great Sumatra Earthquakes and Indian Ocean tsunamis of 26 December 2004 and 28 March 2005: Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, EERI Publication #2006-06, 11 chapters, 100 page summary, plus CD-ROM with complete text and supplementary photographs, EERI Report 2006-06. [www.eeri.org] ISBN 1-932884-19-X
• Dudley, Walter C. & Lee, Min (1988: 1st edition) Tsunami! ISBN 0-8248-1125-9 link
• Kenneally, Christine (December 30 2004). "Surviving the Tsunami". Slate. link
• Macey, Richard (January 1 2005). "The Big Bang that Triggered A Tragedy", The Sydney Morning Herald, p 11 - quoting Dr Mark Leonard, seismologist at Geoscience Australia.
• Lambourne, Helen (March 27 2005). "Tsunami: Anatomy of a disaster". BBC News. link
• abelard.org. tsunamis: tsunamis travel fast but not at infinite speed. Website, retrieved March 29 2005. link
• The NOAA's page on the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
• Tappin, D; 2001. Local tsunamis. Geoscientist. 11-8, 4-7.

External links

Articles and websites

• How to survive a tsunami - Guide for children and youth
• USGS: Surviving a tsunami (United States)
• Tsunami database with detailed statistics
• NOVA: Wave That Shook The World — Site and special report shot within days of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
• NOAA Tsunami — General description of tsunamis and the United States agency NOAA's role
• Can HF Radar detect Tsunamis? — University of Hamburg HF-Radar.
• National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program — United States coordinated Federal/State effort.
• The International Centre for Geohazards (ICG)
• ITSU — Coordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning System.
• Pacific Tsunami Museum
• Tsunamis and Earthquakes
• Tsunami Centers — United States National Weather Service.
• Tsunami Warning — Tsunami warnings via mobile phone.
• Science of Tsunami Hazards journal
• Envirtech Tsunami Warning System — Based on seabed seismics and sea level gauges.
• Scientific American Magazine (January 2006 Issue) Tsunami: Wave of Change What we can learn from the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004.
• Jakarta Tsunami Information Centre
• Social & Economic Costs of Tsunamis in the United States from "NOAA Socioeconomics" website initiative
• NOAA Center for Tsunami Research (NCTR)

Images and video

See also: Images and video, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

• http://www.archive.org/details/opensource_movies 5 Amateur Camcorder Video Streams of the December 26 2004 tsunami that hit Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia (search on tsunamis).
• 2004 Asian Tsunami Satellite Images (Before and After)
• Satellite Images of Tsunami Affected Areas High resolution satellite images showing the effects of the 2004 tsunami on the affected areas in Indonesia, Thailand and Nicobar island of India.
• Computer-generated animation of a tsunami
• Animations of actual and simulated tsunami events from the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research
• Animation of 1960 tsunami originating outside coast of Chile
• The Survivors - A moving travelogue full of stunning images along the tsunami ravaged South-Western Coast of India [Unavailable]
• Origin of a Tsunami - animation showing how the shifting of continental plates in the Indian Ocean created the catastrophe of December 26th 2004.
• CBC Digital Archives – Canada's Earthquakes and Tsunamis
• Tsunami Aftermath in Penang and Kuala Muda, Kedah.
• http://kempo.canalblog.com/ Amateur photo Thailand Tsunami 2004
• Photos and Videos of Humanitarian Assistance to Tsunami-hit areas by the Singapore Armed Forces

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