By now most of us have seen the images of waves breaking up against homes in Tonga, following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption on Saturday.
But these images only scratch the surface of what’s being felt by the islands’ inhabitants. Communication with those on the Tongan isles has been limited since the disaster – the result of damage to the only underwater telecommunications cable connecting Tonga to the rest of the world. Tongans in Australia and New Zealand have struggled to contact loved ones back home, and authorities still don’t have a clear picture of the extent of damage across the country.
But this partial communication blackout is not unprecedented, as University of Sydney’s Dale Dominey-Howes explains. In fact, the global underwater cable network which facilitates most of our communication runs along many of the same lines where disasters are common and expected. Still, the network has remained unfixed for decades.
Meanwhile, the tsunami generated by the volcanic eruption was felt across the Pacific Ocean – including Australia, where small but measurable tsunami waves were still being recorded as late as Monday afternoon. These may even persist into Tuesday morning.
Australians tend to be fairly relaxed about the tsunami risk. But as Hannah Power writes today, even a 50cm tsunami wave can knock you off your feet. This latest event demonstrates Australia is vulnerable to tsunamis. Official tsunami warnings should not be ignored – and they’re certainly not a time to go swimming or surfing.
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Noor Gillani
Deputy Editor, Science and Technology
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Dale Dominey-Howes, University of Sydney
Future events could damage the critical portion of the undersea network which links to Australia.
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Hannah Power, University of Newcastle
Australians tend to be fairly relaxed about the tsunami risk. But warnings from authorities to stay away from foreshore areas should not be ignored.
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Toni Hassan, Charles Sturt University
A clash of protesting groups are creating political tension in Australia.
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Craig Prescott, Bangor University
The Queen has stripped Prince Andrew of his patronages, but she can’t go much further.
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Giselle Bastin, Flinders University
Far from the romance of 1981’s made-for-TV films, Spencer is trapped in a frozen Sandringham setting, gasping for air.
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Beatrice Alba, Deakin University
‘Benevolent sexism’ - opening doors for women, offering a hand - may seem harmless enough, even gentlemanly. But a growing body of evidence shows it can have harmful effects on women.
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Politics + Society
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Carla Pascoe Leahy, The University of Melbourne
As women’s relationship with work and career has changed, so too has the relationship with parenting. What women need now is more targeted support in raising children.
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Health + Medicine
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Amy Peden, UNSW
While it may be possible to teach young infants basic motor skills in water, infants cannot, and should not, be expected to know how to swim or to be able to react appropriately in emergencies.
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Environment + Energy
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Robin Canniford, The University of Melbourne; Tim Hill, University of Bath
Companies may be using the positive impacts of sport to divert attention from their roles in furthering climate change.
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James Bell, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Rob McAllen, University College Cork; Valerio Micaroni, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Sponges are ancient marine animals and have already shown robustness against stresses from climate change. New research now shows they can also tolerate low-oxygen conditions.
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Arts + Culture
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Peter Hobbins, University of Sydney
Shipwrecks, plane crashes and lost desert expeditions in Australian history all feature stories of horror and disaster that rival the thrilling TV show Yellowjackets.
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Business + Economy
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Liam Phelan, University of Newcastle; Kimberley Crofts, University of Technology Sydney
Three ‘just transition’ priorities identified by the coal-mining communities of the Hunter Valley in NSW hold lessons for the rest of Australia, and the world.
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