Tsunami
The word ‘Tsunami’ literally means ‘harbour waves’.
The series of extremely long waves, Tsunami are very long wavelengths of water caused by a
large and sudden displacement of the ocean due to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions etc.
Also called Seismic Waves.
Can cause coastal flooding and powerful currents.
Mostly caused by earth quakes.
Characteristics:
Infrequent and mostly small and nondestructive.
Over deep water, the tsunami has very long wavelengths
In shallow water, wave lengths get short but period remains same causing rise in the wave
height.
Small wave height at offshore (3 to 30m)
It radiates in all directions from the point of origin and covers the entire ocean.
It generally consists of a series of waves, with periods ranging from minutes to hours.
They are generated from the tremors of the earthquakes and not earthquakes themselves.
no season for tsunamis
Can’t be predicted
On average, every 15 years a tsunami occurs in the Pacific Ocean.
Causes of Tsunami:
through the vertical movement of the seafloor by:
Earth Quakes (Mostly)
Volcanic Eruption
Under water explosion(A Nuclear Testing by the US generated Tsunami in 1940 and 1950s in
Marshall island.)
Landslides
Meteorite Impacts (Though no historic example as such of meteorite impact has caused Tsunami,
the apparent impact of a meteorite about 5 million years ago produced Tsunami leaving deposits
along the Gulf Coast of Mexico and the United States. )
Tsunami should not be confused with the huge wind-generated waves. A wind-generated
wave lasts for some seconds whereas a tsunami remains for minutes to hours. A tsunami
can be disastrous which a wind-generated wave is not.
Hurricanes
Hurricanes are enormous storms which come with a rotating wind speed of 74 miles per
hour. The rotating wind swirls across the warm water of the tropics and comes with a
terrifying force.
Hurricanes are known to be one of nature’s most destructive storms as they bring:
heavy rains,
deadly waves
fierce winds.
Hurricanes leave their mark on the earth by ripping up trees, causing floods, and
destroying homes. This horrific storm killed thousands of people and damaged a million
dollars. People get homeless; everything gets swept away by these floods. Another
violent wind storm is known as Tornadoes. Tornado winds are more violent and
stronger than hurricane winds. Hurricanes last longer and cover up to 500000 square
miles of land.
How do Hurricanes form?
Formation of Hurricanes
Usually, they are formed near the equator over warm ocean water. Waves are produced
when oceans are at their warmest temperature, and the air above water becomes heavy
with a lot of moisture.
Hurricanes typically form between 5 and 15 degrees of latitude north and south of
the equator.
Hurricane Season
The period during each year when hurricanes are most likely to occur in a given place is
called hurricane season. Hurricane season lasts from June to October over the Western
Pacific and in the Atlantic, it runs from June to November.
Stages of Hurricane:
Hurricanes go through a process of development that involves different stages to
become what they are. These stages have different lengths depending on the
environmental conditions of the place where they are located at a particular time. If the
conditions are favourable, then a hurricane can be formed quickly; likewise, if the
conditions are unfavourable, the development can be slow. Given below in a table are
the different stages of development that a hurricane goes through:
Tropical An organised area of thunderstorms that usually forms in the tropics. Typically, they maintain their
Disturbance identity for 24 hours and are accompanied by heavy rains and gusty winds.
Tropical Wave A low-pressure trough generally move westward with the trade winds.
A generic term for any organised low pressure that develops over tropical and sometimes subtropical
Tropical Cyclone
waters. Tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes are all examples of tropical cyclones.
Tropical
An organised area of low pressure in which sustained winds are 38 mph or less.
Depression
Hurricane A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 74 mph.
Tropical Storm A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained wind speed that ranges from 39 to 73 mph.
Some Interesting Facts About Hurricanes:
There are some facts that are related to the hurricanes:
Hurricanes are violent storms and can travel up to 300 miles across.
A hurricane can last for more than 14 days.
The first hurricane of every year gets a name starting with the letter A, second with B, and so
on.
There is a wall of clouds around a hurricane’s eye that is called the eyewall. The storm’s
strongest winds exist in the eyewall.
The deadliest hurricane in the United States hit Galveston, Texas in 1900. A storm surge 20
feet high rushed through the whole city and more than 8000 people were killed.
Difference between Hurricane and Typhoon:
Typhoons and hurricanes are the same storms. The only difference between them is
their names. According to geographical position, the name of this storm varies. These
storms are known as typhoons in the western Pacific Ocean and hurricanes in the
eastern Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico. In Australia, the Bay of
Bengal and the Indian Ocean these types of storms are called cyclones. Learn the
difference between cyclone and hurricane by clicking on the link below:
