tsunami wave equations

[angeleena]

hi all,

i want to know the tsunami shallow water wave equations, is it same as other wave equations? plz give me some meterials if u have on that.
thanx

[aboobacker]

Hi,

See the quotes below:

A tsunami is considered a shallow-water wave, since it is noticeably affected by bottom topography, especially when the wavelength is at least 20 times the depth of the water beneath it. The speed of a shallow-water wave is determined by the ratio of the water’s depth to the wavelength of the wave – its celerity – C=√Depth x Gravity. In addition, the rate at which a wave loses its energy is inversely related to its wavelength. Since a tsunami has a very large wavelength, it will lose little energy as it propagates. Therefore, in deep water, a tsunami will travel at high speeds and over great transoceanic distances with limited energy loss. For example, when the ocean is 5 km deep, tsunamis can travel about 220 m/s (~500 miles per hour), nearly the speed of a jet airplane, and they can move from one side of the Pacific Ocean to the other side in less than one day.

As a tsunami leaves the deep water of the open sea and moves into the shallower water of the coastal areas in its path, it undergoes a transformation. As its speed decreases, the amplitude increases, and the wavelength shortens. The wave may appear as a rapidly rising or falling tide that rushes up onto the beach without breaking, or as a turbulent wall of water with higher water behind it, which is called a bore. Tsunamis may reach a maximum onshore vertical height above sea level, called a run-up height, of 30 meters (100 feet). The wave causes devastation as it moves inland, smashing ocean-floating objects into structures onshore and carrying off loose objects and people in its path as it retreats.

Courtesy:http://www.arsc.edu/challenges/2004/tsunami.html