From tidal wave to tsunami

Warm air is a bit less dense, which makes it rise and consequently lowers the pressure in the region where it rises, creating a disturbance.

Then a certain portion of the cold, dense air occupies that space. After the warm air rises, it cools, becomes denser, and descends again.

That cycle in the air movement, with each parcel of air trying to take the other’s place, is what creates wind.

Tropical cyclones

Hurricanes and typhoons are created in the same way, but on a much larger scale.

They always form over the oceans when the water is warm.

More warm, moist air rises from the ocean surface and creates an area of low pressure, encouraging more water vapor and initiating a cycle of air movement.

This process continues, causing the system to grow and strengthen.

When it reaches its peak, it is called a hurricane or a typhoon (see the difference below).

At the center of this storm, called the eye, there is an area of calm air and clear sky, but because of this it is hot.

Vapor increases further and the storm grows larger and larger.

Normally, upon making landfall the hurricane weakens because it is no longer constantly fed by seawater.

However, if it reaches a very large size, it will cause major damage across many kilometers until the danger subsides.

The event is the same, but the name changes according to the region where it forms.

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this is the classification based on the storm’s origin: Hurricane/typhoon in the North Atlantic or North Pacific; typhoon near the Hawaiian islands: Western Pacific; tropical cyclone near the coast of Japan: South Pacific or Indian Ocean, among these three types.

There are also extratropical cyclones that occur in regions far from the equator.

This was the type of storm that hit southern Brazil in recent weeks.

Tropical cyclones are classified according to wind strength.

This week, the Asian nation suffered another serious consequence of global warming.

Scientific evidence confirms the urgency of tackling the climate crisis.

A tsunami (maremoto) is a wave that propagates at high speed across a marine environment caused by earthquakes or tectonic movements under the seafloor.

Also called a tsunami, when it reaches the continental coast it can have disastrous consequences, producing very powerful waves that destroy everything in their path.

Giant waves differ from normal waves in their force.

At higher levels, normal waves can exceed those recorded in some tsunamis but lack the same destructive power.

Furthermore, tsunami water levels are very high because of the sudden displacement of large volumes of seawater.

The cause of tsunamis is related to tectonic processes, that is, movements that occur where two tectonic plates meet.

Due to the unusual agitation of the waters, enormous waves are generated that seriously threaten nearby continental areas.

Their differences

Many people ask about the difference between a maremoto and a tsunami.

In terms of meaning, both expressions refer to the same phenomenon, but they have different etymologies.

The word maremoto comes from Latin mare (sea) + motus (movement), and tsunami comes from Japanese ‘tsu’ (port) + ‘nami’ (wave).

The Japanese expression became popular in Brazilian Portuguese, while the Latin-based expression continued to be used frequently in Portuguese.

However, by some definitions: a maremoto is defined as any abnormal movement of the sea caused by an earthquake in an oceanic area, while a tsunami is a wave caused by a maremoto.

From another perspective, tsunami is considered only when the seismic event affects a continental area, causing an impact on the land surface.

Officially, however, maremotos and tsunamis are considered the same phenomenon.

Tsunami is a Japanese word: ‘tsu’ means port and ‘nami’ means wave. Until recently they were called maremotos, but this term was changed, since their formation has nothing to do with ordinary waves (which are driven by the gravity of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun).

So what causes tsunamis?

This incredible natural phenomenon is known as a large ocean wave caused by a sudden movement in the ocean.

This sudden movement can be an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, a landslide, or the impact of a large meteorite.

Tsunamis cross the ocean at high speed and turn into large, deadly waves along coastal areas.

Information source: igeologico.com

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