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Ecological Impact of the 2004 Tsunami (January 7, 2005, One)

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Program Summary

The devastation that the December 2004 tsunami wreaked upon Asia.s human population was expected to have a similar effect on wildlife, yet eyewitnesses report finding few dead animals. Keepers at the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka say that many species like elephants and leopards became restless hours before the wave hit and starting moving inland towards higher ground. Did a .sixth sense. warn them of impending disaster?

It is well-known that, except for eyesight, animal senses are far more sensitive than human ones simply because they must depend on them for survival. Scientists theorize that the underwater earthquake that caused the tsunami produced vibrations and rumbling sounds beyond our ability to detect (infrasound). Wildlife probably picked up these unusual signals and saved their lives by instinctively moving away from the source of danger. They may have also noticed changes in air pressure caused by the approaching surge.

Marine life was not so lucky. The building swell had no effect on larger animals living farther out to sea, but millions of fish and other creatures closer to shore died when they washed up on land. The delicate coral reefs and mangrove stands they inhabited were uprooted or buried under tons of mud, and breeding grounds for several rare sea turtle species were destroyed. While the immediate results of the tsunami on the area.s economy are evident, the full impact of the tragedy will not be known for decades.

Guests

Don Melnick, executive director of the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation and Thomas Hunt Morgan professor of conservation biology in the department of ecology, evolution, and environmental biology at Columbia University in
New York, New York

Ellen Pikitch, professor of marine biology and fisheries at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School and executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science in New York, New York

Eric Falt, director of the division of communications and public information for the United Nations Environment Programme and director of the United Nations Information Centre in Nairobi, Kenya

Related Links and Resources

ABC News, January 5, 2005: Tsunami May Have Dealt Blow to Marine Life
Boston Globe, December 31, 2004: UN to Assess damage to coral reefs, forests
Nature.com, January 3, 2005: UN Surveys Ecological Ravages of Tsunami
Science Friday Kids' Connection: Tsunami Science
UN Environmental Programme Asian Tsunami Disaster

For Discussion:

• What do scientists think saved the larger land animals from being drowned?
• How do you think the tsunami affected small wildlife species, insects, and plants? What happened to marine species?
• While many animals may have survived the wave, their habitats were destroyed. What effect do you think this will have on them?
• Do you think the area can ever recover ecologically? What does the United Nations plan to do?

Activities

Wild and weird. Read about the wildlife that escaped the tsunami and why scientists think they did. Find the info at Tsunami Animals: A Sixth Sense? (Fox News), Did animals have quake warning? (BBC News).

Birds do it, bees do it. Chickens stop laying eggs, bees get panicky. Stories of animals acting strangely before major disasters (especially earthquakes) have been around for thousands of years. Read more at Can Animals Sense Natural Disasters? (About.com) and Can Animals Sense Earthquakes? (National Geographic News).

Reef grief. Using Discovery School's lesson plan, Blue Planet: Coral Seas, students learn details about the uniqueness and fragility of coral reefs as well as threats to them. The Hawai'i Coral Reef Network is loaded with information and educational materials about corals reefs, including fantastic virtual tours.

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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