Tsunami and wierd weather out west...connection?

[RichF]

Ok, I'm no meteorologist but I know that the weather on the west coast is influenced by the temperature of the pacific ocean. I'm curious, could the Tsunami have displaced enough warm water into or drawn enough water out of the Pacific to temporarily change the weather pattern? I know that we're talking about a butt load of water in the pacific, but hey thought I'd ask.

[Tetrahedrite]

Highly unlikely.......the earthquake that caused the tsunami transfered its energy into the water, it didn't actually move very much water at all! By analogy, if I shout at someone 100m away, the sound waves move through the air and the person hears what I am shouting. This doesn't mean that the air molecules at the point were I'm standing actually reach the other person, only the energy reaches them in the form of a compression wave.

[RichF]

True, but could such a wave disrupt normal ocean currents; in effect churning the ocean? Could this cause a mixing of the colder waters with the warmer ones above?

 

Discuss...I'm going to bed, gott'a work tomorrow dang-it.

[Tetrahedrite]

Once again, highly unlikely. A tsunami moves like other waves in the ocean, it just has a very long wavelength and a slightly increased amplitude. It is also extremely short lived. In deep oceans you probably wouldn't even know the difference if a tsunami passed under your boat. It only has destructive power when it is funnelled into shallow water ie the coastline. I don't think it would have any effect on the ocean floor in the deep ocean (except at the epicentre of course!).

[YT2095]

it`s far more likely to have an effect as the result of the massive flood area and water evaporation. it has to go somewhere, so there will be a few percent more cloud mass for a while longer than that caused by the rains alone, I don`t think we`re likely to notice it in the west much though

[Ophiolite]

Because of wavelengths measured in kilometres, tsunami waves behave as shallow water waves. They can, therefore, have an influence all the way to the seabed, even in deep ocean. That said, we are dealing, as Tetrahedrite noted, with the transfer of energy not material.

It is plausible that such energy inputs might effect ocean currents, but I know of no research that has looked at this. Even if it did,the effect would initially be in the Indian Ocean and would take some time (weeks?) before it had any impact on weather.

Overall, I think it highly unlikely there would be a connection such as you have postulated.

[sepultallica]

there was a couple toronados in LA last week too. mudslides yesterday, record rain. it snowed in Las Vegas!!! they closed the 101. an entire town was evacuated!!! this is some day after tomorrow stuff right here.

[Tetrahedrite]

there was a couple toronados in LA last week too. mudslides yesterday, record rain. it snowed in Las Vegas!!! they closed the 101. an entire town was evacuated!!! this is some day after tomorrow stuff right here.

Maybe the tsunami was the first sign of the apocalypse!!!?!

[RichF]

Thanks for the replies; for the hell of it I might try to see if noaa.gov has any info on temperature change before and after Dec. 26. I'm lazy, so I'll get around to it eventually.

 

Oh, and the bug-eyed little dude makes me laugh!

[ecoli]

it`s far more likely to have an effect as the result of the massive flood area and water evaporation. it has to go somewhere, so there will be a few percent more cloud mass for a while longer than that caused by the rains alone, I don`t think we`re likely to notice it in the west much though

 

-A potential effect of global warming. Increased evaporation...increase precipitation.

[Mokele]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the reports of weird weather in CA starting from *before* the tsunami?

 

I'm fairly sure they were, as I was keeping tabs on that at the time (my GF flew back to CA in that time frame, hence the attention).

 

If the odd weather started first, the tsunami can't have caused it, right?

 

Mokele

[AL]

It was raining pretty hard in California well before the earthquake and tsunami hit SE Asia. I drove from San Jose to Los Angeles in mid-December (I think around the 12th or so) and it was hailing most of the time on Highway I-5. It rarely hails in the California valleys.

 

Of course, this doesn't negate the possibility that the tsunami may have exacerbated the recent inclement weather in CA, but it was already pretty stormy before.

[USMA German]

The oceans is what keeps our weather somewhat stabalized due to its high specific heat coefficient. Specific heat coefficient describes the amount of energy needed to raise a mass of water 1 degree C.

 

The Tsunami let off a great deal of energy that disrupted the ocean... particularly the Indian Ocean. The large wave which traveled around 500 mph initially may have changed currents for the time being. If this has happened cold water currents may have been replaced by warm water currents and the other way around. This would affect weather conditions primarially on the Indian Ocean. To have the effects travel all the way to the United States is a little far fetched. However, the smallest distrubance in the weather has the potential to have a major affect half way around the world. Any one ever heard of "The wings of a butterfly in Japan could cause a hurrican in the Atlantic"

 

Here is a site describing currents in the Indian Ocean, however, it is a little hard to follow. http://iri.columbia.edu/~lareef/tsunami/#Indian_Ocean_Currents_During_December_

 

Fischhaber

Go Army!

Branch: EN

[Guest desert rat]

There are a lot of folks who think the tsunami was engineered.

http://desertblog.blogspot.com/2004/12/haarp-used-in-tsunami.html

[Mokele]

There are also people who think they're the re-incarnation of elves from other planets. People believe stupid $#!+ all the time.

 

Mokele