Tsunami Technology

How can people find out if a tsunami will occur?

There are a few methods of prediction, including seismology, but for the most part, it is very hard to predict whether a tsunami will occur. Detection depends on the depth and strength of the earthquake that causes the tsunami. If the tsunami is created by a different underwater disturbance, detection depends on the amount of energy was created by the disturbance.

“High frequency (HF) coastal ocean radar is well conditioned to observe the surface current bursts at the edge of the continental shelf and give a warning of 40 minutes to 2 hours when the shelf is 50 to 200km wide. The period of tsunami waves is invariant over changes in bathymetry and is in the range 2 to 30 minutes (Skirving).”

This means that near the shorelines of different countries there is HF ocean radar that can detect ocean vibrations close to the coast. This radar then detects the depth of the ocean and calulates a warning time for the people ofwhen a tsunami might strike. (Bathymetry, is just a fancy work for the study of ocean depth).

 

Another warning system is called the DART II sytem.  This system was put in place by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States. It is a series of Buoys that try to detect tsunamis and send signals to warn people if a tsunami is likely to occur.

These warning systems are so important. They have been put in place to help save lives and to give people as much heads up as possible for a tsunami. Scientists are still working on finding more ways to dect tsunamis and getting more warinig stations set up around the world. With tsunamis time is always of the essence.