U.S. Tsunami warning system: Capabilities, gaps, and future vision

Michael D. Angove, Christa L. Rabenold, Stuart A. Weinstein, Marie C. Eble, Paul M. Whitmore

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tsunamis have long been recognized as a significant threat to U.S. coastlines. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its predecessor agencies have had operational responsibility for issuing U.S. Tsunami warnings since establishment of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 1949. Today's end-to-end U.S. Tsunami warning system relies on partnerships with federal, state, territorial, international, regional, and local organizations as well as industry. It includes preparedness and mitigation activities, observation technologies that rapidly detect earthquakes and tsunamis, earthquake analysis to characterize tsunamigenic events, timely and accurate messaging, hydrodynamic models for forecasting tsunami propagation and inundation, and decisionsupport services during events to enhance community response. The U.S. system has proven to be strong and effective, but capability gaps remain. This paper examines the current state of the U.S. Tsunami warning system and previews the science, technology, research, and development efforts aimed at improving the accuracy of NOAA's suite of tsunami warning products.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationOCEANS 2015 - MTS/IEEE Washington
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9780933957435
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 8 2016
EventMTS/IEEE Washington, OCEANS 2015 - Washington, United States
Duration: Oct 19 2015Oct 22 2015

Publication series

NameOCEANS 2015 - MTS/IEEE Washington

Conference

ConferenceMTS/IEEE Washington, OCEANS 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityWashington
Period10/19/1510/22/15

Keywords

  • tsunami
  • tsunami detection
  • tsunami forecasting
  • tsunami mitigation
  • tsunami observation
  • tsunami preparedness
  • tsunami research
  • tsunami warning system

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'U.S. Tsunami warning system: Capabilities, gaps, and future vision'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this