NOAA completes tsunami warning system

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has deployed the final two buoys in the South Pacific that complete a computer system providing real-time data to detect tsunamis and warn U.S. coastal communities about them.

Comment on this article in the forum."These are significant accomplishments that cut across all of NOAA," said John McNulty, director of the Office of Operational Systems at NOAA's National Weather Service. "It was an integrated effort that involved other offices beyond the Weather Service."

NOAA already had operated six buoys in the eastern Pacific, but expanded the system to 39 by adding buoys in the western Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. NOAA upgraded all the buoys to better monitor tsunami threats and keep the public informed of the threats.

In addition, the agency installed 49 new or upgraded tide gauges, along with eight seismic stations for measuring vibrations caused by activity within the earth. Also, 26 forecast models were implemented for at-risk communities, and operations at the Pacific and West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning centers were extended to 24 hours a day.

NOAA also is assisting Australia and Indonesia with installation of tsunami warning systems off their coasts, and sharing data with other countries around the world.

With the infrastructure portion of the initiative complete, NOAA will use $23 million in annual recurring funds to archive the data that DART collects and from surveys conducted by NOAA and other federal agencies. NOAA also will use the funds to update forecast models, and to promote public awareness. In particular, the TsunamiReady program seeks to educate the public about tsunami threats and ensure people know what to do if a warning is issued in their community.

"Through this effort, we've been able to more quickly confirm threats of tsunamis, or eliminate [concern] that a seismic event could be one," McNulty said. "That provides greater protection for the American public."