Tsunamis are powerful waves that can cause immense damage and a devastating loss of life. Take, for example, the tsunamis that struck Sri Lanka and Japan in 2004 and 2011, which killed tens of thousands of people. 

Triggered by earthquakes or volcanoes, tsunamis are unpredictable. Furthermore, they are often impossible to avoid. Those that form near the coast can take just minutes to reach land, which gives locals very little time to reach higher ground. But thanks to a high school student in Idaho, there could be a new tool to combat these deadly waves in the future.

What is “T-Sound”, and How Would It Work?

This past June, 15-year-old Jasmine Lima won a national award for the “T-sound,” an invention that could potentially dissolve waves produced by tsunamis, East Idaho News reported. The idea behind T-Sound is to stop tsunamis by absorbing their energy.

“T-Sound is an advanced tsunami protection device,” Jasmine told the paper. “It uses a dual system of acoustic gravity waves to neutralize the energy of a tsunami. Acoustic gravity waves are basically sound waves that travel through the water. If you throw a rock into the water, it’s going to produce acoustic gravity waves.”

The ninth grader presented a 3-D printed representation of a T-sound prototype at the National Invention Convention in Dearborn, Michigan. She said she came up with the idea while boating with her family in Hawaii. After noticing waves hitting the boat, she wondered if electrical pulses could prevent them. While scientists have studied acoustic gravity waves for tsunami detection for many years, Jasmine’s focus is in prevention.

Jasmine plans to continue studying her research in college. However, she said it will require more funding to create a working prototype.

“I love to learn, so I’m just going to continue learning about this project and going to school and college, and I’m just going to keep on keeping on.”

Inspire Your Students

If your students want to learn more about natural disasters like tsunamis, introduce them to these free resources! Disaster Detector is an online game from the Smithsonian that teaches players how to analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and how to implement tools to mitigate the effects of those disasters.

Your students may also be interested in learning about environmental engineering, a field which is concerned with local and worldwide environmental issues.