Skippers beware: Tsunamis in the North Atlantic

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Linton

Not a Tsunami but problems in the North Sea:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.../nstorm208.xml

there the government calls the probably rise of 10 ft (3 m) already the "worst flooding in 50 years". Imagine what a tsunami wave of 20 m (60 ft would do, with the far stronger energy by which it travels. and much higher tsunami waves are possible.

Also, a tsunami comes in several waves. The arriving wave is what shatters the land, and destroy objects, but the backflow of thr water can produce even greater suction. During the small tsnumai two years ago many peopple died not when the water arrived, but when it left again, becasue they saw the water had come to a standstill and believed the danger would be over, so the left their safe havens and shelters - too early. Waves after the first would maybe have less energy, but they would collide with a land that is already flattened and freed by much objects and features that had somewhat broken a little the first wave, so they could be as devastating because they meet smaller resistance, or friction. Not that by then there would be much life left in the theatre anyway.



Baggygreen,

remember physics lessons at school. we talk of waves, no linear rays. Waves "bend around" corners and obstacles, and they also bend around landmasses. That'S why germany and denmark are very much in danger as well, even if the UK is the first obstacle a Tsunami may hit, depending on the direction. Much of the Netherlands is below sealevel, and the North of Germany, up to the middle of it, is an incredibly flat piece of land, so is Denmark - monster waves could run here for an eternity before running out of energy. If it is coming from the Northwest, over the North Sea, it even hits the Netherlands and Northern Germany directly. It is estimated that even a Tsunami originating from the area of La Palma, probably would cause major havoc even along - the Norwegian coast!

BTW, I did not "predict" it. According to scientific models, and sediment analysis from past times, it is a realistic and reasonable scenario that could happen even during our lifetime, thus we must take it into account as a possible future reality. - The above mentioned areas also would be amongst the first dissappearing under water if the sealevel rises above a certain mark. You could scratch the land several hundred kilometers away from the coast off the map, then. Much of England, Denmark, germany, scandinavia'S south-east etc would not be existent anymore, but would be flooded.

Nothing man-made ever matches the power of nature.