[tlug] Wave Height, Wavelength, Speed and Refraction (was Re: Thoughts and prayers from America)

[jep200404@example.com]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:02:43 +0900, "Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephenjturnbull@example.com> wrote:

> I believe the 5 meters high, but 800 kph sounds like something of
> an exaggeration.  That much water traveling at 225m/sec would go
> right through, or at least up and over, a 30m bluff.

Both 5 meters and 800 kph are credible, but not at the same time, 
In deep water, 800 kph is possible, but the wave height would be 
short and the wave length would be very long. 
As the ocean depth becomes shallow (as near shores), 
the waves slow down and becomes taller[1]. 
Video of tsunamis coming in near shore corroborate this. 

Varying depths cause refraction[2]. 
A sea mount can focus a wide wave into a small area "downstream". 
I think this is how some beaches in Africa were inundated while 
other nearby beaches were untouched in the '04 tsunami. 

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Propagation_du_tsunami_en_profondeur_variable.gif
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2011_tsunami_wave_height.jpg
    Look at this picture and think about refraction. 
    I think the concentrated streamers are caused by a shallower 
    ocean floor "upsteam". 
    There's an interesting stream that changes direction 
    in the middle of the ocean and goes to northern California. 
    I think such a change in direction would be caused by a 
    triangular shaped region of shallower ocean floor. I.e., a prism. 
    Looking at the scale for wave height, and how dark it is 
    in the deep water near Japan, that was one heck of a tsunami. 
    It makes 5 meters and 800 kph at the same time seem plausible 
    (contradicting my initial statement).