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tsunamis

Tsunamis and surf – introduction

Article

Tsunamis and surf – introduction

Tsunamis are unique in their destructive power, but they share many features with other ocean waves. Learn how the two ...

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The 5-Minute Volcano board game box with cards and components.

Article

5-Minute Volcano

The game 5-Minute Volcano is a fast-paced, entertaining introduction to natural disasters. Aotearoa New Zealand sits on the edges of two tectonic plates – the Australian ...

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A year on, we know why the Tongan eruption was so violent

Article

A year on, we know why the Tongan eruption was so violent

Explore the impact that the huge Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption in January 2022 has had on volcanologists theories on volcanoes. A multi-beam sonar mapping system was ...

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Why the volcanic eruption in Tonga was so violent, and what to expect next

Article

Why the volcanic eruption in Tonga was so violent, and what to expect next

In January 2022 the world was shocked to hear of a sudden huge volcanic eruption close to Tonga, causing a tsunami and volcanic ash to cover ...

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Building for the future

Article

Building for the future

On the islands of Sāmoa, the effects of climate change are being felt. Tsunamis, cyclones and sea level rise are some of the natural hazards villages ...

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The tsunami that washed time away

Article

The tsunami that washed time away

Meet geologists James Goff and Scott Nichol as they investigate how ocean pebbles ended up on clifftops in Northland. What was it that caused the sudden ...

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Hikurangi subduction zone expedition #375 – blog 1

Article

Hikurangi subduction zone expedition #375 – blog 1

In March 2018, JOIDES Resolution, a large scientific research vessel, headed out to sea to research the Hikurangi subduction zone on expedition #375. This article is ...

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Tsunami shoaling

Article

Tsunami shoaling

Many of us imagine tsunamis as tall, surf-like waves, but in the deep ocean, their amplitude is actually quite small. Tsunamis get much taller as they ...

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Richard Gorman NIWA scientist specialising in wave forecasting

Article

Dr Richard Gorman

Position: Coastal scientist, modeller National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Field: Wave dynamics, numerical modelling. Dr Richard Gorman is a research scientist at NIWA ...

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Dr Willem de Lange

Article

Dr Willem de Lange

Position: Senior Lecturer, Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato. Field: Earth and ocean sciences, focus on coastal oceanography. Dr Willem de Lange, ...

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Dr Rob Bell

Article

Dr Rob Bell

Position: Research Associate and Teaching Fellow, Enviromental Planning, The University of Waikato. Previously: Principal Scientist, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Hamilton. Field: Coastal ...

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Comparing tsunamis and surf

Article

Comparing tsunamis and surf

So you want to surf a tsunami? In this article, you’ll learn why that’s not possible – and how dangerous it would be to try. Tsunamis ...

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Scientific inquiry: a personal view

Article

Scientific inquiry: a personal view

Hands up who thinks of scientists as people in white lab coats who spend their days mixing coloured liquids in test tubes. This view is inaccurate, ...

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Behaviour of waves

Article

Behaviour of waves

All waves behave in certain characteristic ways. They can undergo refraction, reflection, interference and diffraction. These basic properties define the behaviour of a wave – anything ...

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Fundamentals of waves

Article

Fundamentals of waves

Seeing, hearing, feeling warmth, surfing, tuning the radio, using a cellphone – these and many more activities involve waves. But what is a wave? In this ...

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Modelling tsunamis and protecting the coast

Article

Modelling tsunamis and protecting the coast

Dr Willem de Lange is a researcher and senior lecturer in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Waikato. He studies many ...

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Sensing the Earth

Article

Sensing the Earth

Using super sense technology, changes in the Earth’s structure can be measured without having to actually be there: Motion sensors called seismographs record tremors or small ...

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Science and partnership with a Sāmoan village

Activity

Science and partnership with a Sāmoan village

Science and partnership with a Sāmoan village looks at the wicked problem of future proofing for natural disasters and how science offers responses to help people. ...

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Wave tank modelling

Activity

Wave tank modelling

In this activity, students use a shallow tray of water to demonstrate wave generation and behaviour. Tsunamis have much more energy than a surf wave, so ...

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Making Mexican waves

Activity

Making Mexican waves

In this activity, students use a Mexican wave to demonstrate how waves transfer energy and to visualise the wave behaviours of reflection, constructive interference and shoaling. ...

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Similarities and differences: tsunamis and surf waves

Activity

Similarities and differences: tsunamis and surf waves

In this activity, students use an interactive or paper-based Venn diagram to illustrate the key similarities and differences between tsunami waves and surf waves. Tsunamis have ...

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Home disaster kit

Activity

Home disaster kit

In this activity, students select items to include in a home disaster kit in case of emergency and calculate how much food and water they will ...

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Physics made simple – waves

Teacher PLD

Physics made simple – waves

In this recorded professional learning session, Greta Dromgool and Ted Cizadlo will build your confidence to teach about the Physical World. The New Zealand Curriculum achievement ...

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Exploring natural hazards

Teacher PLD

Exploring natural hazards

In this recorded professional learning session, Lyn Rogers and guest Aliki Weststrate from GNS Science explore some of the science involved in building our understandings of ...

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