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The utter shock of the December 26th 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
encouraged many countries to band together in support with
financial aid as well as dramatic plans to implement better
tsunami early warning systems. The United Nations recently
called for the implementation of a global early warning system.
Such a plan requires not only earthquake and tsunami detection
technology, but also real time communications systems and
public education. The biggest problem is not whether earthquakes
and tsunamis can be detected, but how to get the message
out.
During the first week of 2005 the German government announced
its plans to lead the way in new early warning systems technology.
The German Research Minister, Edelgard Bulmahn, told daily
newspaper Frankfurter Allegmeine, "With our concept,
we will be able to come up with an effective system within
one to three years at a cost of 40 million euros (52 million
dollars)."
The project hopes to add thirty or forty additional seismological
stations in the Indian Ocean to an already existing global
network. In conjunction with other nations, there could be
as many as 250 new seismology stations in the near future
monitoring the Atlantic and Indian Oceans as well as the
Mediterranean Sea. Should an underwater earthquake be detected
the Internet and SMS text messaging will be used to alert
regional data stations in real time. The deployment of communications
technology is an intrinsic aspect of the system. The project
will initially work with Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
The Indian government also announced early January 2005
its plans to dedicate $34.8 million towards Deep Ocean Assessment
and Reporting System or DOARS. Technology minister Kapil
Sibal announced that DOARS, along with a software program,
would be used to monitor seismic changes underwater. DOARS,
placed six kilometers under the Indian Ocean, will be able
to detect even the slightest changes in water movement. In
addition India hopes to work in cooperation with other countries
such as Sri Lanka, as well as the already established Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center. The PTWC network is composed of 26
Pacific Rim nations including Japan, United States, Canada,
and Philippines and Singapore.
The PTWC was established in response to the April 1st 1946
earthquakes along Alaska’s seismic subduction zones
off the Aleutian Islands. After hitting the Alaskan coast
the tsunami took only a couple hours to reach Hawaii, killing
a total of 165 people in its wake.
Whereas tsunamis in Alaska, and Hawaii are relatively common,
historically the Indian Ocean has not seen many tsunamis.
Warning systems were thought to be redundant in light of
the rarity of tsunamis in the area. According to the Indian
government the last Indian Ocean tsunami was in 1883. However,
recent studies indicate that the December Indian Ocean Tsunami
was not an anomaly. In fact studies suggest that the Indian
Ocean is capable of producing mega-tsunamis in the future.
Tsunamis are different than waves caused by tides or wind.
They are deep-water waves that develop due to underwater
disturbances, rather than atmospheric changes. They act like
oceanic avalanches, picking up speed and building in size
as they progress. Earthquakes, underwater landslides and
even volcanic eruptions create deep-water waves that build
up as they move. A tsunami can travel extremely fast, up
to an incredible 800 km an hour. Once a tsunami hits land
it is already at top speed and can grow to be as high as
a several story building. There are reports of tsunamis exceeding
35 meters in height.
The hazard with tsunamis is their volatility and force.
Once a tsunami forms nothing can stop it. There is little
warning and very little that can be done to protect a coastline.
However, not all underwater earthquakes cause tsunamis. This
means that technology that reads seismic changes will not
always predict the advent of a monster wave. It is for this
reason that strategic communications planning will lead the
development of early warning systems.
Basic tsunami education and awareness is also necesary.
The small town of Sitka, Alaska is a good example of community
tsunami vigilance. Tsunami-warning drills are common. The
public radio station, Raven Radio, and the local daily paper,
The Sitka Sentinel, alerts the public through service announcements
to observe the tsunami warning alarm. Tsunami direction signs
that point out routes to higher ground, and emergency procedures
are a constant reminder of the threat. In addition, coastal
Alaskans are taught the signs of an impending tsunami. A
dramatically receding shoreline, for example, is a telltale
sign that something is wrong. In 1964, when one of the largest
tsunamis in American history hit the Alaskan coast, only
100 lives were lost. In Sitka the shoreline receded nearly
a mile grounding many of the town’s fishing boats that
rested in the harbor.
Tsunamis are an unpredictable and violent phenomenon. There
is little to stop them. New technology systems are becoming
more and more attuned to even minute seismic changes in the
ocean. However it is communications systems and education
that will prove to be the greatest protection against tsunami
devastation.
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