EARTHSC 2GG3 Lecture 6: Tsunamis
17 Dec 2019
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Document Summary
J a p a n t s u n a m i: occurred on march 11, 2011, killing ~ 16,000 people. Source was a m 9. 0 earthquake beneath the seafloor. The direct damage from the earthquake and tsunami was u. s. billion: most expensive natural disaster in history* Three nuclear reactors were damaged which led to their meltdown: thousands of residents were forced to evacuate. The tsunami propagated throughout the pacific ocean, causing 2 m high waves in chile: only 58% of people in highest impacted areas heeded the tsunami warnings and evacuated to higher ground. Japan was unprepared for the size of the tsunami. Earthquake and tsunami education is necessary for people who live on or visit coastlines. Tsunamis can have unanticipated secondary effects: destruction of nuclear reactors. Scientific research on historic tsunamis has not yet found its way into the decision-making process: a warning system alone is not enough.
