Happy New Year! As you know, over the holidays a natural disaster occurred in south Asia to which the world is still reacting. The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 7:58 AM local time, spawning tsunamis that were among the deadliest natural phenomenon in modern history. At a rating of 9.0 on the Richter scale, it was the largest earthquake since the 9.2 Good Friday Earthquake off the coast of Alaskaforty years ago. It began beneath the Indian Ocean off the western coast of Sumatra, with tsunamis hitting Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and other coastal nations with waves of up to 50 feet high (five stories). The quake was so powerful that waves even reachedSomalia on the east coast of Africa, some 2,800 miles west of the earthquake’s epicenter.
At least 166,000 people are known to be dead as a result of the tsunamis, with the death count continuing to rise. Relief agencies warn of the possibility of more deaths to come as a result of disease and starvation. The world has responded, sending money, supplies and relief workers to south Asia to help relive the large scale human suffering now taking place there. Whether you want to empower your students to participate in that relief, or just plug into their awareness of the significance of this major event in human history, there are some excellent resources online to take advantage of this powerful story across the curriculum.
In Japanese tsunami means “harbor wave.” Mistakenly called tidal waves, tsunamis actually have nothing to do with tides. They are actually a series of huge waves that are prompted by an undersea event like an earthquake or volcano. These waves travel in all directions from the origination point of the underwater disturbance. They can travel in the open sea as fast as four-hundred fifty miles per hour, and as they approach shallow coastal waters they get higher and higher until they break on the shoreline. Tsunamis have been known to be as tall as one-hundred feet in height.
In addition to pertinent academic studies, this is a great opportunity for your class to get involved in sending aid directly to the agencies who can help the people of south Asia. Please see for credible information on organizations working to provide relief to the nations ravaged by this disaster. I hope the links offered below will also be helpful to you in the classroom. Here’s your first Digital Dozen of 2005!
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Title / Rating / GradesUniversity of Southern California Tsunami Research Group
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Here’s a university that’s on top of the football world and the tsunami world! This is actually an active research site covering field surveys, numerical and analytical modeling, and hazard mitigation. The images and video of past tsunamis are excellent, and the data collected herein can be especially helpful to students in the upper grades. / A / M H
Tsunami Satellite Photos
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This is an excellent time-sequenced collection of satellite photos showing tsunamis as they washed onto Sri Lanka and Indonesiain December. There isn’t a lot of documentation here, just amazing images. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate through the series of fourteen photos. / A / E M H
Scientific Background on the Indian Ocean Tsunami
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Compiled online by Lareef Zubair, the Sri Lanka Meteorology, Oceanography and Hydrology Network and the Earth Institute at ColumbiaUniversity, this is an incredible collection of facts, demonstrations and images on what took place just after Christmas 2004. The sophistication of this web site makes it most appropriate for high schoolers. / A / M H
NationalDataBuoyCenter
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This arm of the NOAA tracks real time sea level data around the world. Look up resent and historical data, marine observations, APEX float profiles, the Coastal Storms Initiative and the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART). Check out the Dial a Buoy phone reporting program while you’re there! / A / E M H
Wave Machine
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wavemachine.html
This PBS online simulation will allow you to create a wave and determine its height. There’s also a Deep Sea Simulator, the Bathyscaph Trieste expedition, a Satellite Viewer and other links which allow students to further investigate and experiment with weather phenomena. / A / E M H
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Title / Rating / GradesInternationalTsunamiInformationCenter Library
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The InternationalTsunamiInformationCenter is a component of the NOAA dedicated to providing accurate information about tsunamis. Here you will find original materials, online documents, fact sheets, newsletters, research, a glossary and links to other great sources of information. / A / E M H
Surviving a Tsunami - Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan
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The US Geological Survey published this 1999 digital document to share information on the impact of a tsunami and the best safety practices in the event that you encounter such an event. Lots of helpful illustrations, historic photographs and helpful material for those just learning about tsunamis. / A / E M H
Cool Planet: Tsunami in Asia
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index.htm
Oxfam brings together educational materials from their Cool Planet pages along with other links in this set of web-based lessons on the current crisis in south Asia. Depending on your class, the lessons can be adjusted for students from upper elementary through high school. More information will be added as events play themselves out in January. / B / E M H
Waves of Destruction: Tsunamis
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From the PBS Savage Earth series, this is a multimedia look at tsunamis using diagrams, flash animation, color photographs and QuickTime video. The presentation is well done but may intimidate younger students. There are internal links to volcanoes, earthquakes and plate tectonics in general. / B / M H
Tsunami!
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The University of Washington has re-posted this web site with the recent tsunami events in Asia. Not all the information is up-to-date but it is very useful in explaining the scientific principles behind this oceanographic phenomenon. The site is currently being updated for more current information on recent events. / B / E M H
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Title / Rating / GradesTsunami
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This FEMA for Kids site offers a basic explanation of tsunamis, including a disaster supply kit and information non how to protect your home and belongings. The Tsunami Warning online book does a nice job of discussing tsunamis in a non-threatening way, and the interactive Water, Wind and Earth Game is a fun test of what’s been learned. / C / E M
Tsunami Word Search
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Once you’re done studying tsunamis with your students, a word search may be a good way of lightening the seriousness of the discussion. This online, interactive applet allows students to circle a dozen words right on the computer screen. And while the word bank doesn’t change, the array of letters can be reshuffled so that students can search again. / C / E M H
Rating Scale / Grades Scale
A Best of the Web
B Highly recommended
C Well designed, but specialized
D Useful in specific contexts / P Primary – Grades K-2
E Elementary – Grades 3-5
M Middle – Grades 6-8
H High Grades 9-12
Copyright 2005Walter McKenzie
This document may not be forwarded, transmitted, copied or distributed without written permission from the author.