Monday, December 12, 2011

How does the weather affect tsunamis, if at all?

A tsunami is a tidal wave or a series of tidal waves caused by seismic activity (earthquakes), landslides, volcanic eruptions, and meteor strikes. Sometimes certain and rare weather conditions can cause a tsunami. Those tsunamis which are caused or affected by the weather are called meteorological tsunamis or meteotsunamis. Most meteotsunamis are smaller in comparison to earthquake-caused tsunamis, but large meteotsunamis can be just as dangerous and destructive as regular tsunamis; they can be as high as 3-4 meters.
Meteotsunamis happen when there is instability, changes, or disturbances in atmospheric pressure typically caused by thunderstorms, squall lines, or other storms. Meteorologists suggest that tsunami warning systems should also monitor weird weather conditions, as meteotsunamis can often happen when the weather is nice.

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