Planet Earth, features and articles | Educational Science

May 3, 2013

Fishing Float Rides 2 Tsunamis … and Survives

A barrel-size black plastic float torn loose by the 2011 Japan tsunami may have been tossed into a Canadian forest by a second tsunami in 2012, researchers say. Though the hollow float hasn't been officially confirmed as tsunami debris, it is identical to a float embossed with the name Musashi...

May 3, 2013

Fishing Float Rides 2 Tsunamis ... and Survives

A barrel-size black plastic float torn loose by the 2011 Japan tsunami may have been tossed into a Canadian forest by a second tsunami in 2012, researchers say. Though the hollow float hasn't been officially confirmed as tsunami debris, it is identical to a float embossed with the name Musashi...

May 22, 2013

GPS Could Issue Tsunami Alert in Minutes

The global positioning system (GPS) — the same system that helps people navigate unfamiliar places — could also serve as an early-warning system for tsunamis, according to new research. When a magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011, coastal residents received an inaccurate estimate of the earthquake's magnitude before...

Jun 17, 2013

No, You Can't Outrun a Tsunami

Maybe the fastest man in the world could run a 6-minute mile for 6 miles (10 kilometers) while a terrifying wall of water chased him through a coastal city. But most people couldn't. Yet a myth persists that a person could outrun a tsunami. That's just not possible, tsunami safety...

Jun 26, 2013

Derecho May Have Caused Tsunami in New Jersey

This article was provided by AccuWeather.com. Researchers are examining a possible meteotsunami that may have hit the coast of New Jersey June 13. The Tsunami Warning Center relayed an account of the events as seen by Brian Cohen, who was out spear fishing in the Barnegat Inlet in Ocean County...

Aug 5, 2013

Bizarre 'Meteotsunami' Stirred Waves in UK

A tsunami that struck the UK in 2011 was caused by a storm roiling the ocean hundreds of miles away, a new study confirms. The meteotsunami (or weather-induced tsunami) of June 27, 2011, caused swells on a normally calm estuary on a sunny day, left some people knee-deep in water...

Aug 16, 2013

Underwater Avalanche! Melting Ice Caps Could Trigger Tsunamis

If melting ice caps trigger rapid sea level rise, the strain that the edges of continents could experience might set off underwater landslides, new research suggests. Submarine landslides happen on every continental margin, the underwater parts of continental plates bordering oceanic plates. These underwater avalanches, which can happen when underwater...

Sep 5, 2013

California Tsunami Would Have Costly Aftermath

The fearsome aftermath of a tsunami striking California might cost at least $3.4 billion to repair, but neither of the state's nuclear power plants would be damaged, suggests a new analysis that could help officials and the public prepare for a tsunami and reduce risks before any such disasters happen....

Nov 6, 2013

Tsunami Debris 'Island' Headed for US? NOAA Sets Record Straight

Debris from the deadly tsunami that struck Japan in 2011 is drifting across the Pacific Ocean toward North America, and will likely continue to wash onto North American shores over the next few years, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A significant amount of debris has...

Nov 11, 2013

How Typhoon Haiyan Compares to the 2004 Tsunami

Super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the central Philippines on Friday (Nov. 8), affecting millions and displacing hundreds of thousands. The tropical cyclone (the blanket term for hurricanes and typhoons) packed sustained winds of up 190 mph (305 km/h) in the hours before it made landfall, according to some accounts. It will...

Dec 19, 2013

Massive Tsunami Could Wipe Out Hawaii's Waikiki Beach

SAN FRANCISCO — Huge tsunamis with waves as high as a four-story building could inundate the island of Oahu, washing out Waikiki Beach and flooding the island's main power plant, a new study finds. Any of us who watched the Tohoku tsunami footage on television had to have been affected...

Feb 24, 2014

Path of Japan Tsunami Debris Predicted by Computers

Computer simulations have been accurate in predicting where debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan would wash ashore, scientists say. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan and triggered a devastating tsunami, killing more than 18,000 people. Half a year later, a Russian ship, the STS Pallada, spotted...

Apr 2, 2014

Chile Earthquake Unleashes Tsunami ... and Sensors Track It

A powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake that rocked Chile Tuesday night (April 1) originated in a seismic hotspot that has produced some of the world's strongest tremors in history. Given the size and strength of the jolt, the current death toll of six seems rather modest. The tsunami it generated was relatively...

Apr 18, 2014

Tsunami Facts You Need to Know

Everyone knows just how destructive the ocean can be, but that amazing power is never more on display than when there is a tsunami. These awe-inspiring displays of Mother Nature's fury can reshape coastlines while leaving a wide trail of destruction and death. Although they are not very common, tsunamis...

Apr 25, 2014

Tsunami Survival Guide: What You Need to Know

Tsunamis are not only some of the most powerful natural disasters in the world; they are also some of the most unpredictable. Because of that unpredictable nature, knowing what to do before, during and after a tsunami can be the key to your survival chances. With that in mind, here...