Case Study: Analysis of Tsunami Impact and Solutions

This case study delves into the devastating impact of tsunamis, focusing on their causes, effects, and the challenges they pose to coastal areas. It explores various solutions, categorizing them into artificial and natural methods. The artificial methods discussed include the implementation of advanc...Read More

Running head: CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Case Study on Natural Disasters
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note:

2
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Table of Contents
Purpose of the Case Study...............................................................................................................3
Scope of the Case Study..................................................................................................................3
Best Practices...................................................................................................................................3
Analysis of Alternatives..................................................................................................................4
Recommended Solutions.................................................................................................................5
Artificial Methods............................................................................................................................5
Figure No 1- Occurrence of Tsunami..............................................................................................5
Figure No 2- Tsunami Warning Centers across the World.............................................................7
Table No 1- Measures Taken By Different Countries.....................................................................7
Figure No 3- Rise in the Number of Tsunamis................................................................................8
Figure No 4- AGW Mitigation of Tsunami...................................................................................10
Natural Methods (Case Study of Japan)........................................................................................11
Implementation..............................................................................................................................12
Results............................................................................................................................................12

3
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Purpose of the Case Study
Tsunamis are a major cause of destruction to human lives. It causes unprecedented
damage to life and properties. The coastal areas are the worst affected and large scale Tsunamis
completely destroys the low lying coastal areas. The purpose of the following case study is to
find out the potential solutions to reduce the impact of Tsunamis.
Scope of the Case Study
The following case study has a huge scope as it deals with a sensitive issue like Tsunami.
The case study will discuss all the potential solutions of reducing the impact of tsunamis. The
case study will act as a proper source for the future studies.
Best Practices
The case study has a significant impact on the target audience. It will help the readers to
have a basic idea related to Tsunamis. The case study also throws light on some of the unknown
facts about tsunami and underwater quakes. The use of charts and some figures has helped to
make the case study a compact one.

4
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Problems
Tsunamis occur when a powerful earthquake occurs in the ocean. It is caused by the
movement of the oceanic plates and generally leads to the formation of huge sea waves that can
cause havoc to the coastal areas. It can completely destroy the areas adjacent to the sea and
leaves no sign of population. A number of Tsunamis have happened till day and the numbers are
increasing. One of the recent such instances being the large Tsunami of Indian Ocean that
claimed more than two lakh lives and destroyed the landmass and the vegetation. However the
most active Tsunami range which is called the ring of Fire is within the Pacific Ocean and
registers the largest number of Tsunamis occurring globally. The waves created by the
earthquake have unimaginable speeds of about 500 miles per hour. Advancement in technology
has helped to calculate the Tsunamis accurately and efficiently. The researcher has prepared a
case study on the precautionary measures that can be affected to stop Tsunamis. However
stooping them is practically impossible but technology and better measures can help to decrease
the amount of loss to a substantial level.
Analysis of Alternatives
As mentioned earlier it is practically impossible to stop the occurrence of Tsunami or
under water seaquakes. But it is possible to reduce the negative effects and impacts of the
organization by adopting some selected strategies (Abdolali et al. 2015). The construction of
artificial structures can help the low lying coastal areas to prevent themselves from tsunamis, but
they are believed to be not friendly to the environment. The scientists who have been researching
on the following have developed different procedures to counter such a destructive force of the

5
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
globe. The case study will discuss the recommended solutions to the problems faced while
tsunamis occur. It will also mention the different solutions to counter such a deadly force.
Recommended Solutions
Artificial Methods
The huge economic cost and loss of Human lives due to Tsunamis have been a major
cause of worry for the nations as they are being pushed to economic crisis. Every year the
vulnerable countries spend more than 500 million dollars to restructure everything destroyed.
The advancement of Science and Technology is gradually playing an advanced role to counter
the destructive force of nature. Different countries have joined hands and have created
programmes to develop and implement information and communication technologies,
Geographical Information systems and remote sensing satellite and data.
Figure No 1- Occurrence of Tsunami
Source- (Sugawara et al. 2014)
The countries that have large coastlines have been improving their coastal protection system
for effectively tackling different natural hazards and disasters. Countries such as Australia, USA,

6
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Japan, India and many more such countries having large coastlines are improving their national
emergency and early warning capabilities (Sugawara et al. 2014). There are a lot of warning
systems like sirens, radio broadcasts, installation of tsunami detection machines, constant
patrolling, phone messaging and many more as such. Integrated Communication technology is
another recent such technology that are being implemented by first world countries to avoid
unnecessary destruction of their territories. The use of an integrated communication technology
has helped in the constant flow of information from one source to the other and thus it helps the
organization to stay updated. The OECD countries are taking the help of weather satellites to
determine the occurrence of earthquakes and Tsunamis. The use of satellite based observation
has made the calculations more accurate and it gives ample time to prevent damage and loss of
lives (Abdolali et al. 2015).
The countries such as USA, Italy, Japan, India and some selected countries which are
quite vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis have been upgrading their seismic surveillance
networks. The occurrence of two major and many minor Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean region
between the year 2004 and 2011 have prompted the authorities to set up a number of local
warning centers around different countries lying in that belt (Cecioni et al. 2014). Three new
regional Tsunami service provider centers were also set up in India, Australia and Indonesia to
add further warning capacity before the occurrence of Tsunami.

7
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Figure No 2- Tsunami Warning Centers across the World
Source- (Barrow 2014)
COUNTRIES MEASURES
Australia, Canada, Columbia, India,
Turkey, USA
Improved Seismic Surveillance
Methods
Australia, Colombia, India, Indonesia Improved Tsunami Early Warning and
Monitoring System
Australia, Austria, Netherlands, France Improved Telephone based
Information system
Table No 1- Measures Taken By Different Countries
Source- (As created by the Author)

8
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
The Global Observing System of The World Meteorological organization updates the
users with the situation of the oceanic surfaces every minute. The observations help in the
preparation of weather reports and describe the weather advisories and early warnings. The total
system is based on the observations of the different local and regional centers, satellite
observations, reporting ships and aircrafts that patrol around the sea. The countries that take the
use of such technology include India, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States. The
advanced scientific technology helps in the accurate prediction of the natural disasters especially
Tsunamis (Cecioni et al. 2014).
1900-
1920 1920-
1940 1940-
1960 1960-
1980 1980-
2000 2000-
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Under Sea Earthquake
Tsunami
Figure No 3- Rise in the Number of Tsunamis
Source- (As Created by the Author)
The Tsunami Alarm System is one of the latest but a complex technology that is installed
by almost each and every country that have a constant threat from Tsunami (Barrow 2014). The
system is interconnected globally with different early warning centers and thus receives a signal
immediately once there is an underwater earthquake in the ocean floor. The receiving center in

9
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
turn is connected with the different telephones and the users receive a warning message
immediately and are thus warned against the possible occurrence of the Tsunami. The Center
also ensures that the message does not go unnoticed and thus it sends 3 back to back SMS to
catch the attention of the users. The Tsunami alarm system works everywhere in the world and
enjoys an uninterrupted flow of information (Abdolali et al. 2015). Countries such as USA and
other developed countries have pre-installed such warning systems in the mobile handsets of the
service users. The advanced technology of the system also allows the tourists to use the system.
A recent research on how to stop Tsunamis has been conducted by a group of professors
of Cardiff University. Professor Usama Kadri, one of the team members of the research describes
that Tsunamis can be checked at an early stage by firing deep ocean sound waves that hit the
earth’s shoreline. The professors’ term these waves as Acoustic- Gravity- Waves that are
naturally occurring sound waves that moves below the oceans and can go deep inside the oceanic
surface. The researchers have cited that if there is a technology that can engineer these waves,
they can be used to fire below the ocean’s surface during the occurrence of Tsunami’s. He terms
it challenging to engineer the waves into the water. The technology can help save lots of lives
and property of the countries in the coastal areas (Admire et al. 2014).

10
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Figure No 4- AGW Mitigation of Tsunami
Source- (Admire et al. 2014)
A new technology has been developed by a group of scientists of Georgia Technology
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The school has developed a new technology named
RTerg that is claimed to accurately predict the approach of Tsunamis. This technology once
implemented will help in the reduction of the loss of human lives and property. The system has
been based on a chain of algorithms to generate the type of tsunami and the eventual destruction
it can cause. Once the Tsunami occurs a auto generated message is received from the Tsunami
center and accurately provides all the information related to the occurrence and magnitude of the
Tsunami. It will also help to calculate the exact time by which the Tsunami will strike the land.
Therefore it will be easier for the authorities to evacuate the people and take them to safe places.
These innovative technologies are key to the detection of the tsunami and extensive
research must be carried out until and unless the desired results are not met.
Natural Methods (Case Study of Japan)
Nowadays some countries have been stressing on some natural methods to stop the
destructive force of Tsunami. The use of advanced technical methods are limited to the early
warning systems which is capable of saving lives but it fails to save properties and lands from
the grasp of giant sea waves. Once the water reseeds these lands which were once cultivated

11
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
loses its fertility and is unable to produce vegetation (Wei et al. 2015). The countries have started
planting large trees in the coastal areas to stop the effect of Tsunamis. Forest is believed to be
effective for a number of reasons namely;
1. Stops driftwood and floating of materials.
2. Reduces the velocity of water.
3. Helps to save lives as people can catch hold of the trees from getting overflowed.
4. It helps to create sand dunes that act as natural barriers to large waves.
5. Mangroves especially help to block tsunamis.
Pine Forests in Japan have helped to reduce the impact of Tsunamis for a long time. It has
been observed that Pine forests with diameters of 10 cm are able to resist tsunamis up to 4.64
meters (Komjathy et al. 2016). The calculation thus applies to the forests and if such an advanced
natural method is maintained as has been the case in Japan large disasters can be avoided. The
use of such advanced natural methods by the country is tried and tested and has helped to reduce
damages in the country. The capacity of the forest to reduce the effect of tsunami is estimated by
the use of fluid dynamics. It measures the hydrodynamic relationship of a liquid that moves
along the vegetation, requires various parameters that measure the resistance of forests to
Tsunamis. Some of the key factors that are learnt from the calculation are volumetric occupancy,
drag coefficient, inertia coefficient and many more as such. Such a calculation helps to plant the
trees more effectively such that it reduces the amount of loss.
Both the artificial as well as the natural measures can be the ideal forms for future
precautions against Tsunamis.

12
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Implementation
The countries may face problems while implementing the total systems to prevent tsunamis.
It is also not possible to totally eradicate the destruction of Tsunami. As of now it is only
possible to develop a highly advanced system and reduce the impacts of tsunami. The early
borne control system of Tsunami is highly costly which makes it quite tough for smaller nations
to implement such technology.
Results
The case study has included most of the key elements that was needed to be covered during
the preparation. Any future research which will be conducted in the coming times will surely get
help from the following case study.
References
Abdolali, A., Cecioni, C., Bellotti, G. and Kirby, J.T., 2015. Hydro‐acoustic and tsunami waves
generated by the 2012 Haida Gwaii earthquake: Modeling and in situ measurements. Journal of
Geophysical Research: Oceans, 120(2), pp.958-971.
Admire, A.R., Dengler, L.A., Crawford, G.B., Uslu, B.U., Borrero, J.C., Greer, S.D. and Wilson,
R.I., 2014. Observed and modeled currents from the Tohoku-oki, Japan and other recent
tsunamis in northern California. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 171(12), pp.3385-3403.

13
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Barrow, C., 2014. Environmental change and human development: controlling nature?.
Routledge.
Cecioni, C., Bellotti, G., Romano, A., Abdolali, A., Sammarco, P. and Franco, L., 2014. Tsunami
early warning system based on real-time measurements of hydro-acoustic waves. Procedia
Engineering, 70, pp.311-320.
Di Risio, M. and Beltrami, G.M., 2014. Algorithms for automatic, real-time tsunami detection in
wind-wave measurements: using strategies and practical aspects. Procedia Engineering, 70,
pp.545-554.
Kain, C., Wassmer, P., Goff, J., Chagué‐Goff, C., Gomez, C., Hart, D., Fierro, D., Jacobsen, G.
and Zawadzki, A., 2017. Determining flow patterns and emplacement dynamics from tsunami
deposits with no visible sedimentary structure. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 42(5),
pp.763-780.
Komjathy, A., Yang, Y.M., Meng, X., Verkhoglyadova, O., Mannucci, A.J. and Langley, R.B.,
2016. Review and perspectives: Understanding natural‐hazards‐generated ionospheric
perturbations using GPS measurements and coupled modeling. Radio Science, 51(7), pp.951-
961.
Mungov, G., Eblé, M. and Bouchard, R., 2013. DART® tsunameter retrospective and real-time
data: a reflection on 10 years of processing in support of tsunami research and operations. Pure
and Applied Geophysics, 170(9-10), pp.1369-1384.
Rabinovich, A.B. and Eblé, M.C., 2015. Deep-ocean measurements of tsunami waves. Pure and
Applied Geophysics, 172(12), pp.3281-3312.

14
CASE STUDY ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Romano, F., Trasatti, E., Lorito, S., Piromallo, C., Piatanesi, A., Ito, Y., Zhao, D., Hirata, K.,
Lanucara, P. and Cocco, M., 2014. Structural control on the Tohoku earthquake rupture process
investigated by 3D FEM, tsunami and geodetic data. Scientific reports, 4.
Shuto, N., 2015. Tsunamis—Their Coastal Effects and Defense Works. In International
Compendium of Coastal Engineering (pp. 55-84).
Siqveland, J., Nygaard, E., Hussain, A., Tedeschi, R.G. and Heir, T., 2015. Posttraumatic
growth, depression and posttraumatic stress in relation to quality of life in tsunami survivors: a
longitudinal study. Health and quality of life outcomes, 13(1), p.18.
Sugawara, D., Goto, K. and Jaffe, B.E., 2014. Numerical models of tsunami sediment transport
—Current understanding and future directions. Marine Geology, 352, pp.295-320.
Wei, Y., Fritz, H.M., Titov, V.V., Uslu, B., Chamberlin, C. and Kalligeris, N., 2015. Source
models and near-field impact of the 1 April 2007 Solomon Islands tsunami. Pure and Applied
Geophysics, 172(3-4), pp.657-682.