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| Walls of Water |
| 2003年09月02日16:01:10 网易教育 |
A listener in North Carolina wants to know-what are tsunamis [tsoo-nah-mees]? How do these walls of water work? We'll ride the wave and explore these questions in Our Ocean World.
(SFX: Underwater rumbles :02 and under)
Often called tidal waves, tsunamis are actually unrelated to the tide. Tsunami is the Japanese term for "great harbor wave." This name refers to the potential damage of these waves can create when they come ashore.
In 1883, a volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa created a series of tsunami waves. One great wave stood over a hundred feet high and swept across the sea at a speed of seven hundred miles an hour! The tsunami waves hit the coasts of Java and Sumatra, killing thirty-six thousand people.
A tsunami is actually a series of waves. They generate in a body of water by seafloor disturbances, such as earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions. Even the impact of a meteorite or asteroid can generate a tsunami. Tsunamis race across the ocean in low, fast waves about one meter high and at speeds above five hundred miles an hour.
Beneath the ocean's surface, mountains of water move unnoticed by the human eye. When a tsunami approaches the coast, its speed slows. The mountain of water drags along the ocean bottom, and water piles up. When it finally touches shore, the tsunami stands as a solid wall of water. They are just one reminder of the awesome power behind our world's oceans!
(SFX: Underwater rumbles :02 and out)
From Washington, I'm Marilyn Cooley.
(SFX: harbor ambience, up and out)
Our Ocean World is made possible by Royal Caribbean International and the research labs onboard its new ship, Explorer of the Seas - Royal Caribbean dot com.
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