If by wave length, you mean what is displaced at sea, then you're correct. But, really, it's about displacement and velocity. More specifically, it is the wave height.
By wave length I literally mean the length of the wave from front to back. It's this that causes the problem. Generally the standard waves in somewhere like Hawaii would be far higher than a tsunami wave but they break at the shore because there is nothing behind them. A much smaller tsunami (in terms of height) but with a larger wave length from front to back would cause far more devastation.
Then of course there's the fact that regular waves are formed by wind and so only affect water at the surface. Tsunamis affect and move water from potentially the entire depth of the ocean.
However their height can potentially dwarf normal waves but that would be down to the depth and angle of the costal shelf.
Really? I thought it was always a succession of waves with, sometimes, a large leading wave front.
More often than not it is a succesion but not exclusively. Often the leading wave is the smaller too. Gradually increasing in size and power then tailing off again. Although sometimes that's only the perception because each successive wave is hitting before the previous ones have ebbed back to sea. Thus compounding the damage and giving the appearance that each following wave was bigger than the last. (Although in the case of the Boxing day tsunami the following waves did increase is height and power)
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tsunami-caught-on-camera
For me, this clip says it all...The Banda Aceh survivor clip
The wave isn't all that high (by some standard waves) but it is the length that drives it so far ashore and causes so much devastation
I hope you're able to watch the clip in the US cos sometimes it's restricted.
Originally posted by botankus
Now that I know it wasn't a tsunami, your educated guesses make sense.However, if it had been a tsunami and they were trying to get the perfect video footage, then they've got larger issues to deal with than simply being dumb.
But if you see some footage of that Nasty Tsunami which killed all those people in asia, you can see some people standing about wondering where all the water has gone too. One harbor scene comes to mind where all the boats were on the ground as the water was pulled out and people are stood about scratching their heads instead of heading for the hills.
Not the sort of thing you´d expect I suppose.
Originally posted by botankus
Now that I know it wasn't a tsunami, your educated guesses make sense.However, if it had been a tsunami and they were trying to get the perfect video footage, then they've got larger issues to deal with than simply being dumb.
You couldn't surf a tsunami. It doesn't have a leading edge that is flat. It's just a torrent of white water (well...brown)
I wonder what happened to the guy who stands up at the last minute in this clip.
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Originally posted by jaden101
By wave length I literally mean the length of the wave from front to back. It's this that causes the problem. Generally the standard waves in somewhere like Hawaii would be far higher than a tsunami wave but they break at the shore because there is nothing behind them. A much smaller tsunami (in terms of height) but with a larger wave length from front to back would cause far more devastation.Then of course there's the fact that regular waves are formed by wind and so only affect water at the surface. Tsunamis affect and move water from potentially the entire depth of the ocean.
However their height can potentially dwarf normal waves but that would be down to the depth and angle of the costal shelf.
You mean dis? 313
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/3208_tsunami.html
Actually, I didn't really read your post, at all. I just glanced at it and replied with something relevant to what you said.
After reading over your posts, I see that you're referring to the wave before it reaches the coast and I'm referring to the wave after it's reached the coastal areas, and increased it's height. We are really talking about apples and oranges.
Originally posted by jaden101
More often than not it is a succesion but not exclusively. Often the leading wave is the smaller too. Gradually increasing in size and power then tailing off again. Although sometimes that's only the perception because each successive wave is hitting before the previous ones have ebbed back to sea. Thus compounding the damage and giving the appearance that each following wave was bigger than the last. (Although in the case of the Boxing day tsunami the following waves did increase is height and power)http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tsunami-caught-on-camera
For me, this clip says it all...The Banda Aceh survivor clip
The wave isn't all that high (by some standard waves) but it is the length that drives it so far ashore and causes so much devastation
I hope you're able to watch the clip in the US cos sometimes it's restricted.
I won't be able to watch it, most likely.
You guys have an awesome show on your BBC channel 4: it's about opposites. A really fat person and a really skinny person try to live each other's fitness and feeding habits. They also have surgery stuff in it....and it looks cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bblk6hD-l5c&feature=related
See if you get that...Starting at about 45 seconds.
Oddly enough it's the ebbing of the wave that does the most damage and kills the most people. I didn't know that before.
And yeah...Channel 4 has lots of rather cool stuff...Channel 5 just takes it a bit further in the oddness dept though. The documentary about the half man half tree for example.
Originally posted by RobtardIt was some rare genetic disease.
IIRC, he skinned his knee as a child; it became infected and some version of the Papio virus (herpes) caused him to grow massive warts over the course of a couple decades.
Originally posted by Lord Lucien
It was some rare genetic disease.
"It is characterized by abnormal susceptibility to human papillomaviruses (HPVs) of the skin."
Was HPV, confused it with the herpes strain.