Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER FUNCTIONS
The Tsunami Warning Centers have a widespread client base: emergency managers, the
scientiic community, and the public. They are responsible for gathering information from
sensor and observational systems; detecting events of interest (tsunamigenic earthquakes)
and determining magnitudes for those events; developing decision support information for
operational and scientiic decision makers; and providing and disseminating warning and noti-
ication products to the public and other entities. The TWCs are not designed for or capable of
detecting landslide-induced tsunamis such as those that might occur in Alaska, Puget Sound,
or in some of the Hawaiian Islands. Operational components of each TWC (Figure 5.2) include:
•
Earth Data Observations,
which allow the detection of earthquakes and tsunami occur-
rence (described in Chapter 4).
•
Data and Information Collection
of seismic and sea-level data, impact reports from
agencies and the public, and data and information sharing with other centers
(described in Chapter 4).
New 5.2 broadside
FIGURE 5.2
Key operational components of the tsunami warning centers. SOURCE: U.S. Indian Ocean
Tsunami Warning System Program, 2007.
