The Boxing Day Tsunami, which killed over two hundred thousand people, prompted a research team, led by Newcastle University Mathematics professor Robin Johnson, to devise a formula that can forecast the occurrence and the magnitude of a tsunami.
“What we found was that the number and height of the tsunami waves hitting the shoreline depends critically on the shape of the initial surface wave in deep water,” explained Johnson.
“From this it is possible to work out whether a ‘trough’ or a ‘peak’ is the leading wave. In the case of a trough then the familiar sight of the tide suddenly going out is the precursor to an approaching tsunami.
“If a peak is the leading wave, there is no warning except a fast-approaching wall of water. Potentially this could provide vital information for areas facing an impending disaster,” said Johnson, according to a Newcastle release.
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Source: Times Of India
I think we already have indigenous and international Tsunami Warning Systems in place. In fact the Tsunami on 26th December was immediately recorded after the earthquake happened and the US Naval Forces took preventive action (they did not inform anyone else in the world – that’s a different issue). What we are seriously missing is the information flow path from the control rooms to the beaches. Even have not been focussing on the efficient communication systems to let people know that a Tsunami may come in a few minutes.
I remember learning about the 40 mosques in Bangladesh which are used for Cyclone Prediction. Each one has a radio set that tunes to Indian frequencies. When there is a storm warning, they raise a particular colour flag on very high flag posts. All the fishermen and the local community can see these flags even from far off places. Within minutes everyone is aware of the upcoming storm.
That sounds like a simple, fast and cost-effective way to warn people! Thanks for sharing the info with us Rajat…