The Fact: Tsunami & Storm Surges

As Typhoon Odette struck land in Philippines. It caused massive flooding in low

coast areas as a result of rising of sea level in the ocean. It’s a powerful and
catastrophic tropical cyclone that contains a 195km/h peak wind intensity with
gustiness of up to 260 km/h. When Odette has passed the most affected regions
leaving large destruction in the provinces, lots of citizen talked about the high
waves crossing sea coastline and inland of the provinces making small islands
floats and invisible in the sea. Lots of them wrongly presumption storm surges
from tsunamis. Tsunamis and storm surges are caused by different events but
both result in flooding and damages to coastal areas.
Tsunamis are sea waves(10 meters more), which are produced by underwater
events. It can be seismic meaning they can result from the vibrations of the earth
(earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mudslides etc.). They start out small in the open
seas but amplify in size as they reach shallow water. A Tsunami is not just a single
waves but a series of ocean waves called a Wave Train. The word tsunami is a
term specific to Japan, which literally means a harbor wave
(tsu=harbor+nami=wave) reflecting Japan’s tsunami prone history. These high
waves is one of the most dangerous disasters in the ocean and can have far-
reaching consequences like washing out entire city, taking year’s to recover and
rebuild human civilization. That’s why, tsunamis are also commonly called “killer
waves”. An example of this is the Indian Ocean tsunami on Dec.26,2004, has an
epicenter of 9.0 magnitude (“megathrust”) on the Richter Scale. It hit 14 countries
from Thailand to Africa, killing around 250,000 people. It’s known to be the most
powerful earthquake that has occurred to date. –(serve-energy-future.com)
While Storm Surges are elevated sea lands produced by intense marine low
pressure system such as typhoons and hurricanes. Storm Surges at times of high
tides can had to coastal flooding and an often accompanied by large ocean waves.
It’s an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm. The water was being pushed
toward the shore by the force of the winds moving cyclonically around the storm.
The impact on surge of the low pressure associated with the intense storm is
minimal in comparison to the water being forced toward the shore by the wind. In
addition, water is pushed in the direction the wind are blowing. Another factor
contributing to storm surge is atmospheric pressure. It is the force exerted by the
weight of air in the earth’s atmosphere. The pressure is higher than at the edges
of a cyclone than it is at the center. This pushes down the water in the outer parts
of the storm, causing the water to bulge at the eye and eyewall where the winds
have helped add to rise in sea level. The water level can reached as high as 10
meters (33 feet) if the storm surge happens at the same time as high tide. An
example of this is the Super Typhoon Haiyan(Yolanda) storm surges that rise
higher than 10 meters. Also higher than 2-storey building causes almost 10,000
dead bodies in Leyte Provinces, Visayas region in the Philippines. The Super
typhoon is recorded as the most powerful cyclone that ever hits land in the
human history.
 Clearly, Tsunami and Storm Surges has big differences. The similarities is just
they caused massive floods in the coastal communities and may kill thousand of
people. Tsunamis is much stronger than storm surges. Tsunamis can’t be
predicted immediately after earthquake, etc. while storm surges can be
forecasted before a storm landfalls. There are lots of gaps between them so there
is nothing to be flustered about. In times of this very dangerous situations just
keep prepared and ready for our safety. Now, all things are clarified, learn to be
exact and spread fact.