Question

A tsunami wave travels at a sped of 159 km/hr, the amplitude of the wave inside the ocean is 200 m and the distance from crest to crest is 48 km. calculate the energy carried by the tsunami

Answer 1

The energy of gravity waves is given as follows (see https://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/336L/Fluid/node150.html):

$$E = \dfrac{1}{2}\rho ga^2$$

where $\rho = 1020kg/m^3$ is the density of sea water, $g\approx 9.81m/s^2$ is the gravitational acceleration, and $a = 200m$ is the amplitude of the wave. Thus, obtain:

$$E = 0.5\cdot 1020\cdot 9.81\cdot 200^2 \approx 10^{6}J$$

Answer. $10^{6}J$.