ELI5, what happens to the marine wildlife during a tsunami?

Question

I was watching the new Netflix show on the Fukushima catastrophe and it got me thinking what happens to the fish during a tsunami? Do they just get thrown on land? Do they flee after feeling the first few movements in the water? If they do get thrown on land, does that mean after a tsunami there’s just a bunch of dead fish spread out on the street?

What about coral reefs and marine ecosystems? How do they get affected by the big waves?

In: 2

Answer 1

Most of the fish are totally unaffected by a Tsunami, coastal fish can find themselves washed up on land and die, the impact on corals is minimal as they are hit by waves all the time and evolved to cope with waves. https://youtu.be/QcQv3RJjNYQ