Tsunamis: Monitoring, Detection, and Early Warning Systems

Abstract

Some in Congress are concerned about the possible vulnerability of U.S. coastal areas to tsunamis, and about the adequacy of early warning for coastal areas of the western Atlantic Ocean. This stems from the December 26, 2004, tsunami that devastated many coastal areas around the northern Indian Ocean, where few tsunami early warning systems currently operate. The tsunami was caused by a strong underwater earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake and tsunami together are estimated to have claimed as many as 300,000 lives. Affected nations, assisted by others, are pursuing multilateral efforts through the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) to develop a regional tsunami detection and warning network that would guard coastal populations around the Indian Ocean. Those efforts would coincide with the United States goal of upgrading and expanding its tsunami detection and early warning network.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA465385

Entities

People

  • Wayne A. Morrissey

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Caribbean Sea
  • Communication Systems
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Digital Communications
  • Disaster Management
  • Disasters
  • Early Warning Systems
  • Emergency Response
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Procurement
  • United States
  • Warning Systems

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Coastal and Marine Engineering/Sediment Transport/Hydraulic Engineering
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.