Tsunami Warning Systems

A tsunami is a large wave or series of large waves that are created in the ocean or other large body of water, usually caused by massive earthquakes on the ocean floor. Tsunami destruction can be massive along coastlines near where they originate. To minimize tsunami destruction and casualties, predicting them is very important. Tsunamis are extremely hard to predict, although there have been several ways researchers and scientists can give fair warning of an approaching tsunami for coastlines that may be affected. Tsunamis can travel very fast; about 700 km an hour, so any tsunami warning should be given quickly and timely.

Simple Way to Detect a Tsunami Warning:
One common tsunami warning is detecting drawback. Drawback may occur moments before a tsunami, in which case, anyone near the coast line should immediately seek higher ground. A drawback is when water recedes back far enough as to expose the ocean floor which is usually submerged. Drawbacks are not always a reliable tsunami warning because they may not occur at all if the tsunami moves downward from a fault line on the ocean floor.

Professional Predictions of Tsunamis:
When a powerful earthquake hits the ocean floor, that also does not mean that a tsunami will definitely occur. When geologists and oceanographers and seismologists detect an earthquake, they analyze it to see if a tsunami warning is necessary. Systems developed by scientists can detect an impending tsunamis. The most effective system is a instrument that has bottom pressure sensors that are attached to floating buoys on the surface. These buoy systems constantly measure and monitor the pressure of water columns that pass by, and they are set in place in areas that are at high-risk of a tsunami.

A tsunami warning system on the west coast of the United States is also in effect, where many residents are given warning and routes to take to avoid injury. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System is based in Honolulu, Hawaii and it measures seismic activity in the ocean. Any indications of earthquakes with a certain magnitude are immediately issued to the public with tsunami warnings. But, since not all large earthquakes cause tsunamis, the data is carefully analyzed first before issuing a needless tsunami warning.

As a result of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, governments and organizations are reevaluating their tsunami warning system. The United Nations Disaster Mitigation Committee is helping to install new tsunami warning systems in the Indian Ocean to prevent a repeat of the tsunami destruction seen in 2004. These systems being installed are able to measure the energy of an incoming tsunami and in turn, can predict the height of a tsunami, as well as when it will hit. These systems are fairly accurate and can predict the time of the impact within a few minutes.

Using Animals to Minimize Tsunami Destruction:
Some zoologists have theorized that certain animals can detect tsunamis moments before they hit by detecting subsonic Rayleigh waves caused by an earthquake or tsunami. If this is proven to be true, animals may be observed for early tsunami warning.