06-02-2012, 01:45 PM
Tsunami
What is Tsunami?
A tsunami is a very long-wavelength wave of water that is generated by sudden displacement of the seafloor or disruption of any body of standing water.
The term tsunami comes from the Japanese 津波, composed of the two Han characters (tsu) meaning "harbor" and (nami), meaning "wave".
Tsunami are sometimes referred to as tidal waves.
Physical charactstics of Tsunami:-
Wavelength is defined as the distance between two identical points on a wave. (i.e. between wave crests or wave troughs)
Wave height refers to the distance between the trough of the wave and the crest or peak of the wave.
Wave amplitude refers to the height of the wave above the still water line, usually this is equal to 1/2 the wave height.
Wave frequency or period is the amount of time it takes for one full wavelength to pass a stationary point.
Wave velocity is the speed of the wave.
The velocity of any wave is equal to the wavelength divided by the wave period.
V = λ/P
The velocity of a shallow-water wave is also equal to the square root of the product of the acceleration of gravity, g, (10m/sec2) and the depth of the water, d.
V =√ (g ∗d)