This is a map of modeled tsunami sea surface elevations.

People have been promoting ignorance and I am exhausted at explaining to each of them regarding this.
The ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima Power Plant in northeast Japan is horrible. However, we as a society could want to be the most well informed we can about those things that matter to us most, whatever those things might be. People have been using the wrong map as a graphic to show radiation spread across the Pacific. There is no such map. There are maps of ocean circulation model derived estimates of radiation. BUT there are no maps that actually show radiation floating across the Pacific. They do not exist.
Here is a great source of information for the ongoing nuclear disaster in northeast Japan: National Geographic
Here are the data from northeast Japan and from Fukushima itself, unabated by political or corporate filtering.
IAEA FMD
Here are the IAEA reports regarding Fukushima.
IAEA Fukushima Disaster
People have been using a map that shows potential sea surface elevations as a result of the subduction zone earthquake offshore Japan on 11 March, 2011. People make the claim that this is a map of radiation. Please do not be so ignorant to share this facebook post. We must have higher standards than this.
I memed up this graphic to help inform those who do not know what this map really is. Here it is:
2011 NOAA Tsunami Model Output Map
Here is their source web page:
http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/honshu20110311/
Here is the original as provided by NOAA:
2011 NOAA Tsunami Model Output Map
Here is a “Travel Time” map for the Tohoku-Oki Tsunami:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/honshu_11mar2011.shtml
Here is that map of Travel Time for the Tohoku-Oki Tsunami:
2011 NOAA Tsunami Model Output Map
Here is another original as provided by NOAA:
2011 NOAA Tsunami Model Output Map
Here is the reddit page where someone posted my image.
Here is the imgur page where someone posted my image.

2 thoughts on “This is a map of modeled tsunami sea surface elevations.

  1. Thank you, Jay! This has been driving me absolutely bonkers, and I’ve been stomping it for ages every time I see it. I really appreciate you pulling all the relevant links together. Cheers!

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