tsunamis

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Many resources on the Science Learning Hub explore ideas relating to the Physical World strand in the NZC. This online PLD session recorded on 11 March...

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...

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...

In this activity, students use a shallow tray of water to demonstrate wave generation and behaviour. By the end of this activity, students should be able...

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....

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. By the...

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,...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...