Tsunami Vs Hurricane Essay: Tsunami and hurricanes are both natural disasters mostly observed in coastal areas. As humans continue to live in coastal areas, people get more exposed to natural disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis. Rising sea levels from climate change amplify storm surges and cause worse flooding. As we move into the future with advanced civilization and a larger population, dealing with these natural disasters becomes increasingly challenging.
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Long Essay on Tsunami Vs Hurricane
The Origin of Tsunami and Hurricane
A tsunami is a series of sea waves, which is caused by the sudden displacement of a large volume of water. Tsunamis are formed as an after effect of the major disturbances in the ocean bed that causes vertical or sliding rock movements resulting in huge waves of water moving together, making way for a Tsunami. It can be caused by any underwater activity like volcanic explosions, earthquakes originating under the water, plate tectonic movements, etc. Underwater earthquakes are the primary cause of tsunamis because they suddenly shift a large area of the seafloor. This movement displaces massive amounts of water and the energy created generates enormous waves called tsunamis.
Underwater volcanic eruptions can also cause tsunamis by displacing large amounts of water. Hurricane is a very powerful series of storms that are formed over the water bodies. Hurricanes are large, swirling storms with wind speeds of 74 mph or higher. The center of the hurricane is called the eye of the hurricane that can be about 20 miles and the entire spread can be around a diameter of 400 miles. Hurricanes form over warm ocean water and strike the land with a wall of ocean water in the coastal areas. This wall of water is called a storm surge associated with heavy rain and can cause destruction and flooding.
Effects of Tsunami and Hurricane
Tsunami and hurricanes are entirely different natural phenomena but both have the power to be very damaging. The thing about a tsunami that makes it more dangerous in terms of damage, that there is little warning, so the people could make arrangements or escape. We can have enough time to get out of the way of a hurricane and get to shelter according to the forecast received. However, hurricanes generally can cause lots of damage also as they continue for a longer time. Tsunami waves are not like regular sea waves. Tsunami waves appear as small waves in the open ocean but as it approaches land, the waves grow in height enormously.
Exceptional tsunami waves can move up to 100 feet high at the seashore. Such a tsunami hits the land with a huge volume of water and is highly destructive to coastal areas. During the hurricane, the surge of water from the ocean is driven toward the shore by the force of the wind. This rapidly moving surge combined with the tides can increase the water level by about 30 feet or more which can cause extensive damage as it reaches the coast. Scientists have categorized hurricanes in 1 to 5 categories, with category 5 having the strongest winds and the potential of causing higher damage.
Conclusion on Tsunami Vs Hurricane Essay
Both tsunamis and hurricanes can impact the lives of millions of people at once and can destroy within a short period. The most important aspect of destruction from these natural disasters is the places that come under its effect. The densely populated and developed areas in major cities and townships are reported to be most affected as a result of these natural disasters. Moreover, the coastal areas that flourished with the tourism industry have been severely affected by tsunami and storms.
Short Essay on Tsunami Vs Hurricane
The Cause
Tsunami is a natural calamity where a series of large waves hits the coast. This happens when a sudden displacement of a large volume of water occurs, as the seafloor is suddenly disturbed by an earthquake or landslide. The big waves travel from the area of origin and become large and powerful as they reach the shore. The word tsunami is a combination of two Japanese words “tsu” (means harbor) and “nami” (means “wave”). The origin of the word hurricane is from the American word ‘hurucane’ which means evil spirit of the wind.
The Difference
A hurricane is a series of disruptive storms that are generally formed in the warm months over the oceanic bodies. But a tsunami, on the other hand, is a set of large waves that can be formed anytime due to explosions under the water. A Tsunami is worse than a hurricane because it can happen quickly after an earthquake with no prior warning and thereby can cause more damage than a Hurricane. The difference between tsunami and hurricane is that the hurricane appears as very large and disruptive storms that are generally formed in the warm months of the year over the warm oceanic bodies. A tsunami can be generated anytime when some displacements occur in the rocks underwater due to earthquakes or explosions. As a result, large ocean waves are formed which propagate towards the land and cause devastation.
The Damage
Strong hurricane winds create an area of low pressure underneath the center of the storm so that the ocean water bulges upwards to the center. The hurricane carries this bulge of water towards land along with swirling winds which is called a storm surge. While passing over the land, this storm surge leads to much destruction of lives and properties. In the case of a tsunami, generally, the waves have small heights as long they are within the ocean, but take huge form in the wavelength near the shore. This is the reason that the waves of a tsunami can be unnoticed in the sea but can cause great damage afterward as it suddenly forms huge waves to flood away everything hundreds of kilometers from the coast.
FAQ’s on Tsunami Vs Hurricane Essay
Question 1.
What was the effect of the tsunami that occurred in December 2004?
Answer:
The tsunami on December 26th, 2004 killed over 230,000 people in 14 countries around the Indian Ocean. The waves from this tsunami reached above 100 feet high and ravaged cities and communities through incredible force.
Question 2.
When is a storm classified as a hurricane?
Answer:
A tropical storm is classified as a hurricane when wind speed goes up to 74 miles per hour or higher.
Question 3.
Why is a tsunami prone to cause much damage to lives and properties?
Answer:
A tsunami is likely to cause more damage because of its sudden occurrence triggered by underwater disturbances that are difficult to predict or measure.