NASA photos show flooded coast after Japan tsunami

By Jeffrey Van Camp Published May 11, 2011

Last week, Japan endured one of the worst earthquakes and tsunamis on record. We posted some information and videos on Friday, but today NASA has given us a look at the entire coastline before and after the waves hit.

nasa-japan-tsunami-photos — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The image on the right shows the coastline after the tsunami east of the city of Sendai. As you can see, the entire coast is eroded and far less defined with areas of water extending far into the mainland. These pictures were taken at 10:30 a.m. on March 12, 2011 by NASA’s MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer) on its Terra spacecraft. The region shown extends from the Abukama River to just south of Minamisoma, a town of 71,000.

nasa-japan-tsunami-topography — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This second photo shows the topography around the city of Sendai after the 8.9 magnitude quake struck 80 miles offshore. Sendai is the capitol city of Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture and has a population of about 1 million. The city lies in the center of this picture, between the mountains and the shore. It had little geographic protection from the oncoming waves.

Jeffrey Van Camp

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…

Mobile

PayPal vs. Venmo vs. Cash App vs. Apple Cash: which app should you use?

PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Apple Wallet apps on an iPhone.

We’re getting closer every day to an entirely cashless society. While some folks may still carry around a few bucks for emergencies, electronic payments are accepted nearly everywhere, and as mobile wallets expand, even traditional credit and debit cards are starting to fall by the wayside.

That means many of us are past the days of tossing a few bills onto the table to pay our share of a restaurant tab or slipping our pal a couple of bucks to help them out. Now, even those things are more easily doable from our smartphones than our physical wallets.

Computing

How to change margins in Google Docs

Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Computing

What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app

A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.