Tsunamis Affecting Ecosystems

Tsunamis Aecting Ecosystems

Tsunamis can impact many different ecosystems threatening several animal and plants survival.

Table of Contents Introduction

2

Effects on Mangroves

3

Effects on Aquatic Ecosystems

4

Effects Inland and Outland Ecosystems

5

Glossary

6

Bibliography

7

Introduction Tsunamis can impact many different ecosystems threatening several animal and plants survival.

Tsunamis are giant waves that destroy and impact many different environments and habitats. Every year an average of two tsunamis occur leaving some animals homeless or dead. Tsunamis have an average height of 2.5 - 4.0 meters high. You might think of tsunamis a huge wave about 50 meters in height but, they are not, if you've ever been in a tsunami it's just a wave the height of an average man. Now you might think that tsunamis are Diagram of a Tsunami tiny waves but, they’re very quick. If you think about it, they are actually not even waves, it’s just like the water level in the ocean raised in less than five seconds. “I thought that the water was taking over the world.” Mr. Kasi Yoko says he is a 85 year old man who has survived the famous tsunami in Japan (the 2011 one).

2011 Tsunami in Japan

Causes and Effects of Tsunamis Destroying Mangroves Tsunamis destroy many mangroves a year causing some animals become either threatened or endangered. In the past 20 years 25-30% of the mangroves in the world have died to tsunamis. Mangroves play an important role in some animals lives, without them these animals could become extinct. Some animals have already become endangered or extinct because the mangrove population has decreased. The American Alligator, Green Sea Turtle, and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, are all threatened because of the decrease in the mangrove population. The American Crocodile, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Eastern Indigo Snake, Atlantic Salt marsh Snake, Southern Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Brown Pelican, West Indian Manatee have become endangered because of the declining mangrove population.

Effects on Aquatic Ecosystems Not only can tsunami's impact on mangrove forests but they can also impact on coral reefs. “We found tires, clothing, sheet metal roofs, and window frames littered on the reefs,” said study researcher Solomon Yim in a press release. “Much of the coral was broken or covered with sediments, and some of it died as a result. Both the run-up and run-down of the tsunami waves were very destructive.

It will probably take years to decades for the reef to recover.” In the past 20 years about 25-30% of coral reefs have been destroyed due to tsunamis.

Effects on Land and In-land Tsunamis do severe damage on land and inland, causing some animals to die out or become endangered. When tsunamis rush on land they fill the sewage systems with water, causing the sewage to flood and pushing all the sewage upland. Once this happens the sewage will flood the city, spreading all types of diseases to many types of organisms. Many organisms aren't affected by the tsunami, but most of these organisms will die out because of the fact that they’ll have no food. Since most of the organisms on land died they’ll probably have nothing to eat, for example, if a bird survived the tsunami, the fish probably died out on the beach so the bird won't have food and die.

Conclusion Although tsunamis can’t be prevented there are many groups trying to save creatures from these devastating disasters. The N.O.A.A. is one of the biggest groups out there. The N.O.A.A. put underwater sensors in the ocean detecting if there is an earthquake, after the earthquake is detected it automatically sends a warning signal to the possible places that will be affected. This system isn’t that effective because it only gives them at most a twenty-four hour advance before it’ll strike. In her article, Anubha Sawhney of Times News Network, says that the loss of human life in the tsunami was huge and frightening, but has anyone bothered to put a number to the animals that have also been affected?

Glossary

Citations Ecological Consequences of Natural Disasters: Tsunami.

Retrieved 18 February 2016, from http://wwf.panda.org/ about_our_earth/teacher_resources/webfieldtrips/ natural_disasters/ M, D. (2011). From the Editor’s Desk: The Environmental Impacts of Tsunamis | Deep Sea News. Deepseanews.com.

Retrieved 18 February 2016, from http:// www.deepseanews.com/2011/03/from-the-editors-deskthe-environmental-impacts-of-tsunamis/ GDRC, H. (2016). The Indian Ocean Tsunami and its Environmental Impacts.Gdrc.org. Retrieved 18 February 2016, from http://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/disenvi/ tsunami.html Worldbookonline.com Worldbookonline.com,. (2016). World Book Student | Article Page. Retrieved 18 February 2016, from http:// www.worldbookonline.com/student/article? id=ar569220&st=tsunamis#tab=homepage Worldbookonline.com,. (2016). World Book Student | Article Page. Retrieved 18 February 2016, from http:// www.worldbookonline.com/student/article? id=ar752267&st=tsunamis#tab=homepage