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Tsunami Velocity Equation:
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The tsunami velocity equation estimates the speed of a tsunami wave based on water depth and gravitational acceleration. This fundamental equation in oceanography helps predict how quickly tsunami waves travel across oceans.
The calculator uses the tsunami velocity equation:
Where:
Explanation: The equation shows that tsunami velocity increases with water depth, which explains why tsunamis travel much faster in deep ocean waters than in shallow coastal areas.
Details: Calculating tsunami velocity is crucial for early warning systems, evacuation planning, and understanding how quickly a tsunami generated in one location will reach distant coastlines.
Tips: Enter water depth in meters and gravitational acceleration in m/s² (default is Earth's gravity: 9.81 m/s²). All values must be positive numbers.
Q1: Why does tsunami speed depend on water depth?
A: In shallow water waves like tsunamis, wave speed is determined by depth because the entire water column from surface to bottom is involved in wave motion.
Q2: How fast can tsunamis travel in the open ocean?
A: In deep ocean waters (4,000-5,000 meters), tsunamis can travel at speeds of 500-800 km/h (300-500 mph), about as fast as a jet airplane.
Q3: Why do tsunamis slow down near coastlines?
A: As water depth decreases near shore, the tsunami wave slows down according to the square root of depth relationship, causing wave height to increase dramatically.
Q4: Does this equation work for all types of waves?
A: No, this specific equation applies to shallow water waves where wavelength is much greater than water depth, which characterizes tsunami waves.
Q5: How accurate is this calculation for real tsunamis?
A: While this provides a good approximation, real-world tsunami propagation is affected by additional factors like seafloor topography, Coriolis effect, and energy dissipation.