A tsunami is a natural phenomenon consisting of a series of waves generated when water in a lake or sea is rapidly displaced on a massive scale, due to an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or large meteorite impact, with effects that can range from unnoticeable to devastation (Tsunami pp). The term tsunami comes from the Japanese language meaning harbor - "tsu," and wave, "nami," and was created by fisherman who returned to port to find the area surrounding the harbor devastated, although they had been unaware of any wave in the open water (Tsunami pp). A tsunami is not a sub-surface event in the deep ocean, it simply has a much smaller amplitude or wave heights offshore, and a very long wavelength, o

Among critical coastal habitats in Aceh and north Sumatra, "25,000 hectares (ha) of mangroves, 30 per cent of 97,250 ha of previously existing coral reefs, and 20 per cent of 600 ha of seagrass beds have been damaged," with economic loss valued at $118.2 million, $332.4 million and $2.3 million, respectively, according to a United Nations report (Asian pp).

The data analysis component involves compiling data from

ften hundreds of kilometers long, which is why they can pass unnoticed at sea, forming only a passing "hump" in the ocean (Tsunami pp).

In January 2005, more than 13,000 members of the American military were serving the victims of the Asian tsunami. And though many governments, charities and individuals from around the world have rallied to help, the American military is the relief operation's backbone, especially in Indonesia (Spaeth pp). Region wide, the Pentagon has dispatched an aircraft carrier and an amphibious assault ship, an armada of support vessels and 103 planes and helicopters, and the U.S. bill is expected to reach about $6 million a day (Spaeth pp).

it is estimated that 48,925 ha of forest area was affected,

of coastal land area have been degraded or lost (Asian pp).

Volunteers from every corner of the world and from every facet of life have come to the devastated region to help the survivors. Volunteers have been vital to dig out the rubble while government agencies deal with infrastructure and other emergencies (McGirk pp). Thailand's Phi Phi Island has witnessed a bizarre revival, as hundreds of foreign backpackers and scuba divers arrive to rebuild the packed guesthouse and nightclub strip that was destroyed by December's waves (McGirk pp). Many show signs of post-traumatic stress at the sudden destruction of so much life and property and volunteers say that keeping up morale inside inadequate refugee camps frays the nerves and erodes any sense of dignity (McGirk pp). One woman living in a windowless schoolhouse in Moratuwa with 64 families, was found hoarding drugs in order to commit suicide (McGirk pp). One promising note is that the Indonesian military completed a major trunk road, using elephants and coconut tree scaffolding to rebuild 35 of the 41 bridges that were knocked out by the massive walls of water (McGirk pp).

with the assumption that 30 per cent of this area has been

As a result of infiltration of saline water, sediment and

Once successfully tested, a set of numerical experiments can be conducted using various tsunami amplitudes, frequencies, and durations to examine their impact on Oahu shorelines (Early pp). "These scenario studies can produce a range of run-up results that can be provided to Hawaii State Civil Defense for emergency planning purposes" (Early pp).

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Approximate Word count = 2175
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)