Lesson 9 — Tsunamis and Extreme Weather 1 / 7

Last lesson, the Earth shook from below. Today, the forces come from water and weather — tsunamis, cyclones and floods — and we look at how communities prepare for them.

A tsunami isn't one big surfing wave — it's a huge amount of energy travelling through the water. Watch where it starts.

! Energy travels from seabed to shore
An undersea earthquake suddenly shifts the seafloor, pushing the whole column of water above it.

Extreme weather reshapes the land and affects communities. In Australia, three types matter most.

EventWhat it doesAustralian example
CycloneStrong winds (over 200 km/h) + storm surge erode coasts and flatten treesCyclone Yasi (2011), Qld
FloodMoving water erodes soil, deposits mud, damages homes2022 Eastern Australia floods
Extreme heat & droughtDries the land, raises bushfire risk, stresses living thingsBlack Summer bushfires (2019–20)

People can't stop these events — but science helps them predict, prepare and respond, which saves lives.

In your groups, analyse a real case-study card with data. We'll model the first one together.

On your own, write a short structured summary of one extreme event.

For a tsunami, also sketch and label the cause-to-coast energy chain:

Exit ticket to finish.