October 2001
***Celebrate Earth Science Week, October 7-13, 2001! See http://www.earthsciweek.org for more details and great educational resources.***
The Pacific region is frequently called the "Ring of Fire" because of the volcanoes and earthquakes that delineate its edges - but this activity also makes it a "Ring of Water". Why? Tsunamis, powerful ocean waves, are generated by submarine earth movement - earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides. Low-lying coastal regions along the edges of the Pacific Ocean, as well as island regions in the Pacific Basin, are particularly vulnerable to tsunamis. Even California has been hit - in 1964, for example, a tsunami generated across the ocean by a large earthquake in Alaska inundated beaches from Crescent City to Los Angeles, causing some fatalities and millions of dollars' worth of damage.
This article, which appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, can be used as a starting point for lessons on themes such as wave propagation, tsunami hazards and safety, or the ocean floor. Another topic of interest might be how modeling natural phenomena on a computer or in a laboratory compares to making observations and taking measurements in the field - what are the benefits and drawbacks of each approach, and how can they be combined in the context of the scientific method? Like previous features on natural hazards, the article can also be used to stimulate discussion of the roles of science in determining public policy and planning.
Threat of killer waves:
Recent scientific studies show the power of tsunamis
Note: The excellent graphic accompanying the article can be viewed by clicking on the small, blue-and-red, square image that precedes the text.
Related Web Sites
Tsunami!: An article by Frank González from Scientific American. Although rather text-intensive, it contains a discussion of the physics of tsunamis with nice accompanying maps and links.
Pacific Tsunami Museum: The museum, established in Hilo, Hawai'i, after the area was repeatedly devastaed by tsunamis, has a well-crafted website. Some links of interest include:
- Tsunami FAQ - answers to frequently asked questions about tsunamis.
- Tsunami and Science - a brief article by George Curtis explaining how the tsunami warning system works.
- Tsunami Glossary - defines some terms commonly encountered in articles about tsunamis.
- Tsunami photographs - historical tsunamis and associated damage in Hawai'i.
Tsunami! - "an interactive, on-line, tsunami-information resource" maintained by the Geophysics Department of the University of Washington. It features items such as:
- The Physics of Tsunamis- simple explanation of the mechanisms of tsunami generation, with some graphics and animations.
- Tsunami Hazard Mitigation - safety tips and tsunami facts.
NGDC Tsunami Database: A source of data and images related to tsunamis. The slide sets are particularly compelling.
West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center: Has current information and tsunami bulletins.
Related Classroom Activities and Discussion Topics
Monster Waves: From Eduplace.com. Students build a model of a coastal town, predict how high a tsunami wave would reach in their replica, and then compare with actual observations (this could be data from real tsunamis scaled to the model, or a simulated tsunami carefully created in an inflatable pool). Appropriate for upper elementary or middle school students.
Tsunami: The Big Wave: Activities designed by the NASA Observatorium for students in grades 7-12, demonstrating how ocean waves form and grow.
Sensing Tsunamis: Geared towards high school students, this activity challenges students to create a tsunami-sensing system using NASA technology and the physics of tsunamis (both explained on the website). Requires Internet access, and looks involved but stimulating and fun.
Tsunami!: A two-class-period activity from Discoveryschool.com geared towards students in grades 6-8 with suggested adaptations for older students. Students drop objects into different-sized containers to see how the size of the water body affects wave height. Site has printable materials, discussion questions, and project "extensions".
Seismic Sea: Students model tsunamis in order to learn what factors affect wave size and strength. Has scientific method checklist and real-world application question.
Science News Write-Up: Write a report on this article for your class! Here is a suggested outline to help you organize the report.
News Archive
Earth Science News Archive: We are building an archive of these news features. Feel free to browse earlier articles and resources!