The Tsunami of December 26, 2004, and its Attendant Effects - Case Study Example

The Tsunami of December 26, 2004 and its Attendant Effects Abstract The tsunami of December 26, 2004 was a demonstration of the power of nature. The destructive power of was experienced not just around the epicenter of the earthquake, but thousands of kilometers away. The toll on human life was high, and so was the toll on the ecosystems. Some of the damage may never be repaired. It may not be possible to prevent the expression of the fury of nature in the form of a tsunami, but it is in the best interests of humanity that the damaging impact of a such tsunamis be minimized and this is possible through an early warning system and education of the people in the means of reducing the impact of such tsunamis. Introduction: Nature is awesome, and its power without a parallel. As a demonstration of its destructive force, nature unleashed the Tsunami on December 26, 2004 in the Indian Ocean, near Aceh in Sumatra, Indonesia. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the energy released by the Tsunami was equivalent to 23,000 atomic bombs of the type dropped on Hiroshima. This awesome demonstration of the power of nature left in excess of 150.000 people either dead or missing, millions homeless in eleven countries, damaged ecosystems, and changed topography of the ocean floor, and as such it may be considered as one of the most destructive tsunamis that man has faced. (1) Overview Tsunamis are triggered by earthquakes on the floor of oceans. Tsunamis are a rarity in the Indian Ocean and the previous tsunami in the Indian Ocean was approximately six decades earlier in 1945. Hence the countries on the rim of the Indian Ocean affected by the tsunami had no early warning system in place and were ill prepared to handle such a crisis. The governments in the area could hardly be blamed for this, as their concentration on disaster management was on cyclones and floods, which were a frequent occurrence in these countries. This situation was to enhance the effect of the tsunami. (2) The world witnesses an earthquake of the magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale on an average of once every year. The tsunami of December 26, 2004 was triggered by a tsunami of the magnitude of 9 on the modified Richter scale. The Richter scale is based on a logarithmic scale with a base of 10. Thus for every whole number increase on the Richter scale the amplitude of the ground movement recorded jumps up by ten times. In short what this means is that the tsunami of December 26, 2006 was ten times more powerful than what is normally experienced as powerful earthquakes around the world. The average frequency of such an earthquake is once in three or four decades. Thus a combination of under-preparedness and a powerful demonstration of nature’s fury were to cause a disaster of rare magnitude. (3). The magnitude of the earthquake is best understood in the estimates of the scientists of North American Space Agency (NASA) that it caused a slight change in the shape of our planet, reducing the length of day by 2.68 microseconds, and also changing the position of the North Pole by about 2.5 centimeters. This earthquake was the fourth largest in the history of earth over the last one hundred years. (4) Cause of the Tsunami: The epicenter of the earthquake was beneath the Indian Ocean off the west coast of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The movement of the tectonic plates resulted in the displacement of enormous quantities of water in the Indian Ocean, and send intense shock waves in all directions. It is not that the shifting of these tectonic plates was unexpected, but the intensity and timing was. The India Plate on the Earths crust has been has been sliding under another part of the Earth’s crust, known as the Burma plate. This interaction between the two plates has been going on for millions of years. (1). The Indian tectonic plate has been slipping under Burma plate at an estimated rate of six centimeters per year. The movement of the plates is impeded by friction. This impediment over a period of time causes a rupture. This rupture occurred on December 26, 2004, and the Indian plate all of a sudden slipped twenty meters under the Burma plate. (3). These movements occurred as deep as five kilometers on the seabed and stretched for nearly one thousand kilometers from off Sumatra in Indonesia to the Andaman Islands in India. Studies of the fault lines have suggested that some places on seabed were pushed upward to a height of almost twelve meters. It was this displacement of the ground that resulted in the tsunami of immense proportions. (5) The reach of the tsunami, which was to affect several countries, and even as far as the African continent, and felt also in Peru and Mexico was impacted on by two factors. These were the direct effect of the force of the earthquake, and the manner in which the topography of the sea floor guided the waves of the tsunami. Nearer the epicenter the waves were more affected by the shape of the fault and the body of water displaced by the earthquake. Further away from the epicenter the topography of the sea floor had a greater impact in the dispersion of the waves of the tsunami. (6). The Tsunami: The shifting of the earth crust in the seafloor resulted in the body of water above it to the height of five kilometers instantly moving with it. With hardly exact and reliable data on the nature of the tsunami computer simulations have been the fallback for understanding its nature. Computer simulations of such movement of water bodies have shown that the speed of movement is in direct proportion to the depth the water. Therefore at these deepest points of the Indian Ocean the tsunami was propelled at an estimated speed of 900 kilometers per hour. In this phase the tsunami was broad, yet shallow. It is approximated to have been of one hundred kilometers from its front end to the rear end, but less than half a meter in height, and hence unnoticed and felt by vessels on the surface of the ocean. As this body of water reached shallower waters encountering continental the continental shelf caused a reduction in speed, and this allowed the rear of the tsunami wave to catch up with the front. The result was the huge destructive waves of the tsunami. Indonesia in the proximity of the earthquake took the immediate brunt of the tsunami. The tsunami was also to wreck havoc in countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, as the tsunami moved on. The tsunami was also to cause damage and loss of human life on the continent of Africa. As many as twelve countries on the rim of the Indian Ocean were to feel the ferocity of the tsunami (7) The Impact of the Tsunami: Human tragedy as a result of the tsunami is the first to strike anyone. This is because the extent of human tragedy is enormous. It is estimated that the casualties of human life exceed 150,000 thousand, with several million left homeless. Infection and disease are expected to double the toll of dead, as the nations involved were hardly prepared for such a catastrophe. In Indonesia the shortage of essential medicines like anti-tetanus injections, because of the number of injuries caused by the tsunami was high, and logistics in reaching these to the devastated areas was not easy. Identifying and disposal of the large number of dead was a serious problem. Children without parents, parents searching for missing children, the trauma of loss of near and dear were the other elements involved in the human tragedy. Prevention of diseases like cholera that could easily spread among the survivors in the devastated areas was another area of concern. Moving on from the human tragedy and coming into the damage of the ecosystems provides more clarity of the damaging impact of the tsunami. The tsunami of December 12, 2004 had a severe impact on rearranging the geographical features and the ecosystems in the Indian Ocean on a very large scale. Islands that have disappeared, restructured coastlines, and dangers to shipping lanes are part of the damaging aspects that have resulted from the tsunami. Safe navigation of maritime routes essential to the reaching of relief material and subsequent transportation of cargo through established sea lanes are no longer valid hampering the utilizing of maritime channels in these waters. (8). The concentration of mostly all the efforts have been to mitigate human suffering, but efforts to understand the damage to the ecosystems of the areas affected due to the tsunami have been limited. Aceh was one of the biologically vibrant areas in the immediate vicinity of the epicenter of the earthquake. The impact would become clearer only when fishermen venture out into their normal fishing grounds. Reports of damage to marine life have already been persistent. Dolphins in Thailand, dugongs and saltwater crocodiles in Andaman Islands, sea turtles and many varieties of fish are among the marine life that has been affected by the tsunami. Anther significant factor is that coral reefs would have been damaged to a very large extent. The significance of this is that coral reefs consist of highly disparate and complex communities. (9) Chris Andreasen Chief Hydrographer of the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence has expressed his views on the impact of the tsunamis as, “it’s been surprising to me how much shore line change there has been”. However the one of the greater effects of the tsunami may be indirect, and in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of coastland dwellers, who would need to seek dwelling and means of earning a living in the hinterland over large and varying periods of time. (10) The major impact of the tsunami would however be concentrated on the island communities in the Maldives to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India. Where live would presumably never be the same, because of the damage to the fresh water systems of these islands. As a result the native aborigine people of some of these islands that have occupied these islands for many thousands of years have been forced to leave these islands with no foreseeable plans in the immediate future to return. Examples of these are the six aboriginal tribes in the Andaman Islands, who have had no earlier experience of interaction with the modern world, including members of the Shompens and Great Andamanese tribes. It is believed that this may cause the demise of these threatened tribes. (11). One of the main reasons for the forced departure of these islanders from their lands that have been their homes from a very large period in time, is that the tsunami has led to the pollution of their fresh water sources with salt water. This invasion of salt water is not only in the Andaman and Maldive Islands, but is experienced in the fresh water wells in Somalia in the continent of Africa. (12) Preventive Action: Any preventive action as far as the tsunami of December 26, 2004 is concerned is tantamount to closing the doors after the horses have bolted. In any case the tsunami has caused concern of the world in general, and the countries on the rim of the Indian Ocean such that an early tsunami warning system on the lines of the Pacific Ocean warning system is planned to be in place in 2006. Yet the more effective means in containing damage may be education of people on the damage potential of a tsunami and the means to mitigate it. (13) Lessons from the Tsunami: Prevention is better than cure is a lesson that is well known, and so is the case with tsunamis. It is not possible top prevent tsunamis, but it is possible to prevent or mitigate the damage that results from a tsunami, at least as far as human suffering is suffering. A more important lesson learnt is that relief organization in the aftermath of such disasters needs to be efficient, and is a significant factor in the mitigation of human suffering. Therefore a an efficient international disaster organization under the aegis of any of the already existent international organizations is the need of the hour to meet not just the disasters that result from tsunamis, but also other calamities that the world sees from time to time. (2). Conclusion: Events like the tsunami of December 26, 2004 will occur, and are not preventable by any human means. They will cause untold misery to human, and endanger the ecosystem. We may be powerless to prevent such events, but it is in the power of human civilization to minimize the damage that such disasters attempt to take a toll from the environment. Early warning systems are a means to mitigate the toll of human suffering, but the more effective means is the education the population on the means to reduce the impact of such expressions of the power of nature. Works Cited 1. “The Deadliest Tsunami in History?” NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEWS. 2005. NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM. 1 Dec. 2006 . 2. “Prepare for the worst”. New Scientist. 185.2481 (2005): 3. 3. Davis, Katherine. “ANATOMY OF A quake”. New Scientist. 185.2482 (2005): 17. 4. “How the Earthquake Affected Earth”. NASA. 2005. Science@NASA. 1 Dec. 2006. . 5. “Heaving seabed triggered Asian tsunami”. New Scientist. 187.2529 (2005): 23. 6. Ravilious, Kate. “Tsunami waves ‘shot along’ mid-ocean ridges”. New Scientist. 187.2515 (2005): 13. 7. Nowak, Rachel. “Reconstructing a most deadly wave”. New Scientist. 185.2482 (2005): 16-17. 8. Handwerk, Brian. “Tsunami Draws Indian Ocean Maps”. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEWS. 2005. NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM. 1 Dec. 2006. . 9. Owen James. “Tsunami Clouds Future of Marine Animals”. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEWS. 2005. NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM. 1 Dec. 2006. . 10. Holmes, Bob. “What livelihood is left for those who return?” New Scientist. 185.2482 (2005): 15. 11. Holmes, B & Pearce, F. “The impact will last for decades”. New Scientist. 185.2482 (2005): 14. 12. Pearce, F. “Tsunami's salt water may leave islands uninhabitable”. NewScientist.com news service . 2005. 1 Dec. 2006. . 13. Hogan, Jenny & Emma, Young. “Will we be ready for the nest one”. New Scientist. 185.2482 (2005): 12-13.. 14. Read More