The Mechanism Of Tsunami Warning System And

The Evaluation

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Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………… p.3

Methodology…………………………………………………………………….. p.3

Results and Discussions………………………………………………………p.4

Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………p.13

Reference……………………………………………………………………………p.14
Abstract:

Tsunamis will kill people and cause loss of properties. Therefore, an efficient
tsunami warning system is needed to protect the safety of citizens. The tsunamis
warning system is divided into detection part and issue warning part. Both play an
important role to minimize the damage from tsunamis towards the citizens. Therefore,
the tsunamis warning system should be evaluated to keep improving their efficiency.

1. Introduction

Tsunami is one of the destructive disasters which will give rise to many destructions
and loss of life. For instance, the huge tsunami in the Indian Ocean killed over 200000
people and caused damage to several countries like Thailand and even South Africa.
One of the main reasons for the high death toll is the lack of tsunami warning system.
A tsunami warning system is used in the detection of the tsunamis and issue of
warnings. If the tsunamis system were set up well, the death rate due to tsunamis
could be minimized. Thus, there is a need for us to build up an advanced tsunami
warning system so as to protect our lives and properties.

For instance, the 2004 Indian tsunamis were caused by 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
(Kusky, 2008) It caused the death toll up to 230508 people. The number of people who
were missing and got injured was 45752 and 125000 respectively. The tsunamis also
ruin over 1000 km of the land and reached 30meters height near the epicenter.
However, the warning center did not analyze the data from the satellite in time, most
of the citizens cannot evacuate due to the high speed of tsunamis. The tsunamis
reached 800km/hr at that time. It showed that the developing countries like Thailand
did not have the efficient tsunamis warning system. After that disaster, the affected
countries started to build up an advanced tsunamis warning system such as DART
system.

The essay will focus on the tsunami warning system in different aspects. Firstly, the
essay will give brief introductions about the development of a tsunami warning system
from past to present. Then, we will discuss the mechanism for the detection of the
tsunamis and issue of warning. Moreover, we will evaluate how effective the tsunamis
warning system can operate. Last but not least, we will investigate the amelioration in
the tsunamis warning system.
2. Methodology

The qualitative research is applied in this essay. The mechanisms of various types
of tsunami warning system will be shown in details. Then, there will be the deep
understandings of the efficacy towards different tsunami warning system. This paper
will mainly depend on the books, the tsunami warning system official websites, and
some Science journals.

3. Result and Discussion

3.1 History of the development of tsunami warning system

In the1920s, the original tsunamis warning system which attempted to issue the
warning to residents was developed in the Hawaii. After the tsunamis occurred in the
1940s and 1960s, Hawaii has the more advanced tsunamis warning system. After the
2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the United Nation has built up an Indian Ocean Tsunamis
Warning system.

The tsunamis system originally depends on seismic causes. However, There are
numerous factors affecting the occurrence of tsunamis. Therefore, the invention of
the sea level instrument could display other parameters.

3.2 Mechanism in different technologies for detection of tsunami

The first focus is the mechanisms for the detection of tsunamis. We will discuss the 3
methods that are the most commonly use.
i. DART (Deep-Ocean Assessment And Reporting Of Tsunamis Buoys Network
System)

Satellite, Seafloor bottom pressure recorder, floating buoy are the main
components in this system. Firstly, for every fifteen seconds, Seafloor bottom pressure
recorder on the seabed is utilized to record the temperature and pressure. a pressure
value, which is obtained after the correction of temperature effect, could give an
estimation of the height of sea surface. Then, the acoustic telemetry is used to
transmit the data from the recorder. After that, the surface buoy transmits the signal
to the satellite. Eventually, the tsunamis Warning Centre can realize the situation in
the sea by receiving the signal from the satellite.

There are two modes in DART: Standard mode and event mode. For the standard
mode, the 24 observation of the sea height level that measures the pressure in every
15 minutes within 6 hours. The event mode is switched on when the software detects
the certain chances of incoming tsunamis. The time period used for transmitting the
signal changed to 15 seconds.

DART I is the first generation in the Dart system. It mainly depends on the 1-way
communication from the recorders to the center. DART II is the second generation that
involves the 2-ways communication between the recorders and the center. It allows
the center to change the time interval for detection of pressure.

ii. Using Orbiting satellite altimeters

The altimeter is used to measure the amplitude of the waves, the winds and the
current in the sea by measuring the distance between the satellite and the ocean
surface.
There are two ways gathered to measure the altitude of the ocean wave
accurately. The direct way is to emit 2 radar pulses to with different frequencies and
mark down the time of an echo. Therefore, the distance between the satellite and the
sea surface could be derived from st/2 where s is the light speed and t is the time
period between the transmitting pulse and received pulse. The second way is to take
the electromagnetic energy by the water vapor and sea surface into account. When
the electromagnetic wave like microwave leaves the atmosphere, the other
electromagnetic energy from water vapor will slow down the speed of the wave. Then,
the height of the sea surface will be inaccurate. Therefore, the accurate measurement
can be done by consideration of the electromagnetic waves from the surroundings.
iii. The visible detection

When tsunami happens, the sea surface slope will vary that will affects sunlight’s
surface reflection. It will give rise to the tsunamis shadowing. The direction of Tsunami
shadows is parallel to the wavefront and occur in between tsunami troughs and crests
and the black strips could be observed. For instance, there was Tsunamis shadow
which was observed in the Hawaii before the arrival of tsunamis in 1994.

3.3 Issue warnings

Even though a precise measurement of detecting tsunamis will play an important
role in preventing the destructive consequence, it also needs the warnings system to
inform the residents to get rid of the disaster. The role of the tsunamis warning center
is to determine whether the level of tsunamis will be dangerous or not towards
residents. After that, if the tsunamis reach a certain level of danger, the warnings will
be announced and suggest the emergency escape route to the citizens. The way for
announcements is the use of the Emergency warning system. It will spread the
emergency notices to citizens through televisions and radios. Also, sirens and
telephones could be used to instruct people to escape from the tsunamis.

3.4 Assessment of the efficacy towards tsunami warning system

3.4.1. Technologies used in the tsunamis detection system.

i. DART

This technology can succeed in detections of the tsunamis in some cases. For
instance, warnings from the DART system can transmit to the tsunamis warning center
in one hour. Moreover, it can offer some data for analysis of the tsunamis in Indian
tsunami in 2004.

For instance, When the 311 earthquakes stock off the seashore area in Japan, DART
system has detected it very quickly and accurately in America. And then It gives the
warning to the Hawaii with enough time for evacuations. Therefore, many citizens
evacuate from the tsunamis easily. When the tsunamis stock off the Kahului, it flooded
their homes and ruined the whole harbor. It shows that the level of tsunamis is quite
destructive and the DART system worked effectively in some case.

However, the lack of maintenance will lead to DART system fail to detect the
tsunamis. For instance, the Phuket did not receive the warning signal when the
tsunami is coming. The reasons are that condition on the ocean may not be very steady
and it will cause the system to be worn out more easily. The official explained that the
battery in DART system did not operate effectively. In spite the fact that buoys had
been operated for 1 year, only 80% of the buoys were still operable for transmitting
the data. Moreover, the one to two buoys always wears out monthly. About 64% of
the buoys in the Pacific Ocean wear out. Moreover, the maintenance cost for the DART
system would be very huge. The operation and maintenance cost in 2008 is on 12
million US dollars. As a result, the government may be able to fix few of the systems.
Some of the tsunamis will have small attitude, thus the sensor may not detect the
small motion in the open sea. There may be some geometric problem that will also
bring the consequence of tsunamis, but the Dart system is not able to detect this type
of cause.

ii. Using Orbiting satellite altimeters

The advantage of orbiting satellite altimeters can detect the tsunamis which are
with small displacement. In addition, it can measure the tsunamis in the open sea that
can avoid the coastal interaction involved in the measurement. Moreover, It can
measure the tsunamis in numerous weather or ocean conditions, it can gain a more
reliable data with less error and get a better analysis. The use of the orbiting
microwave radar and radiometers can ignore the limitations in weathers, like cloud
cover. The microwave and radio wave which both have the long wavelength can
prevent it from scattering in the atmosphere. For instance, the change in the
amplitude of tsunami in 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami could be detected by the NASA’s
Jason-1 satellite.
The orbiting satellite may not detect the tsunamis in some situations. For instance,
the satellite could not detect five huge tsunamis, such as Biak and Peru Tsunami in
1996. It featured that there are still some limitations in the use of orbiting satellite
altimeter. The rate of data analysis is slow, thus the tsunamis warning center complete
the data interpretation in time. The resolution of radiometers changed to low if the
controller wants to enhance the range of scope.

iii. The visible detection

Sometimes, the features in tsunamis like tsunamis shadow could be distinguished

obviously before the arrival of the tsunamis. For instance, A pilot had recorded that he
make a clear observation of tsunamis shadow before the arrival of tsunamis. Moreover,
a video also recorded that the tsunamis shadow appeared on the sea surface before
the tsunamis arrived the Hawaii. These examples show that the optical devices could
make an accurate detection of tsunamis.

The efficacy of visible observation is limited greatly when compared with other two
methods. The weather is the main factor that affects the effectiveness of the optical
instruments. For instance, if the cloud cover is huge, it will not have the clear
observation of the tsunami shadow. Moreover, when the tsunami comes far from the
shore, the observer cannot observe the tsunamis shadow on the shore. As a result,
there is a delay for the warning to the tsunamis warning center. It may hinder the issue
warning to the citizens.

3.4.2. Ways to issue warning

i. Using Telephones
Sending SMS and using the phone call could be the methods to inform the residents.
Since most of the citizens own a smartphone, It is a convenient way to announce the
tsunami warning to the residents. For example, in 2006, the tsunamis warning center
issued warning effectively by means of telephones in Australia.
Nevertheless. In some cases, the citizens want to confirm the updated news of
incoming tsunamis, thus they make good use of the telephone hotline to gain more
information for escape. It will give rise to the Network congestion, the telephone call
and message for informing the tsunamis message cannot send immediately. As a
result, the delay may cause a number of people that do not have sufficient time to
follow the escaping instructions.

ii Broadcasting system
The Broadcasting system like television and radios is one way to issue warnings. The
comprehensive information for tsunamis could be shared via the broadcasting system.
In addition, the representatives from tsunamis warning center Could appear in the
emergency news report on television to instruct the citizens to escape. For instance,
In 2006, Japan announced the warnings of tsunamis by means of television, so
tsunamis did not give hurt to any citizen. It was because all of them have sufficient
time to escape.

Nevertheless, the citizens in the less developed countries may live in poverty, so
they may not have broadcasting electronics like television and radio. Therefore, the
citizens in the rural area may not receive the message since the radio wave network
will be unsteady.
iii. Siren
The emergency messages also could be broadcasted by a siren. The announcement
in the siren is prerecorded and concise for clear understanding. The reports of the
tsunamis in siren can instruct the citizens to be aware of the detailed information from
television and radio. When the radio and television are not available in the certain
area like street, the sirens should be another way to inform people to leave.
Nevertheless, the siren has the limited coverage and is not as common as other two
methods.

3.4.3 Location of tsunami

If the location of the source of tsunamis locates far from the tsunami detecting
center, the tsunamis warning center has more time to analyze the tsunamis and send
the warning signals to the citizens. When the source of tsunamis is very close to the
shore, the broadcasting of warning is hardly in time. Even though they receive the
warning announcement, they may not have sufficient time to evacuate. For instance,
the earthquake which occurred in Hokkaido in 1993 has caused the tsunamis to arrive
after five minutes. Insufficient time for evacuation led to the great loss of the lives and
properties. As a result, the efficacy in tsunami warning system relies on the source of
the tsunami, but it is uncontrollable.

3.4.4 Alertness of citizens

Alertness of citizens towards the tsunamis and tsunamis warning system is
insufficient. Tetsushi, Akiko, and Mik (2006) from Kobe University conducted the
survey and over 90 % of the citizens did not know what is tsunamis before the arrival
of tsunamis. Although half of the respondents care about their safety when the
tsunamis are predicted to arrive, only 26% of the respondents will concern with the
evacuation places where the warning center suggests. It highlighted that many citizens
did not be aware of tsunamis warning system. The less awareness will limit the efficacy
of the tsunamis warning system. Even though the tsunamis detection system operated
effectively, people may still not evacuate promptly and the casualties cannot be
minimized.

4. Ways to increase efficacy of tsunami warning system

i. GPS
GPS is the useful device for the detection of earthquake and evaluation of the chance
in the arrival of tsunamis. GPS can also measure the data in the seafloor movement so
as to Make a movable tsunami modeling. The ship can also use the GPS to record the
data about the change in sea level, and then send it to the tsunamis warning center
for further analysis. For instance, In 2010, A ship which used GPS system could
effectively record that the sea level varied suddenly in Chile. After a while, The
tsunamis really arrived to hit this place. In addition, many tsunamis are caused by the
earthquake, like the 311 earthquakes in 2011 and Indonesia earthquake in 2004.
Therefore, the loss of lives could be drastically minimized if the detection and analysis
of earthquake are complete without delay. Foster (2012) suggests that the casualties
could be minimized if the GPS devices were used in 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis.
Therefore, using GPS technology in the detection of earthquake and tsunamis can
boost the efficacy of tsunami warning system.

ii. Education

The role of Education is very crucial for citizens to escape to the safe place before
the arrival of tsunamis. If the residents are not alert of the destructive consequences
brought by the tsunamis, it is still meaningless to build up the efficient warning and
announcing system. Therefore, the government should operate some free training
courses for the citizens who live in the tsunami-prone area. As a result, the citizens can
gain a better understanding of the ways for evacuation. In addition, the government
should set a day known as “evacuation day”. It is a day that promotes all types of
receiving announcement and evacuation methods. Therefore, their alertness could
also be enhanced.
iii. Investment

The government should put more resources into the tsunamis warning system. For
instance, the money in purchasing new tsunameters should be increased. The buoys
could enhance the coverage of the DART system, therefore DART system could
measure the source of tsunamis more accurately. In addition, Since the buoys may
become malfunction when the ship crash to the buoys or the strong oceanic waves hit
the buoys, buoys be a back-up for the others. Besides, the regular and frequent
maintenance can guarantee the tsunamis warning system that operates effectively.
The tsunamis in Indonesia killed over 200 people because the lack of maintenance
leads tsunamis warning system to be not workable. In addition, the developed
countries could allocate more money to develop more advanced technology for the
upgrade of tsunamis warning system, such as GPS.

5. Conclusion

When tsunamis warning system is developing, the system has changed a lot and
many methods of it could enhance the efficacy of the tsunamis warning system.
From the past until now, it develops many methods in detection systems and the issue
of warning. Each part of the warning system such as detection of tsunamis, the
analysis of tsunamis, the announcement of warning and the evacuation methods
should run successfully so as to minimize the casualties. If a malfunction in one of the
part, the tsunamis warning system will never minimize the loss of lives and properties
drastically.

Also, the tsunamis warning system has to work in time, thus the people can
evacuate to the safer area before the arrival of tsunamis to the shore. In fact, the
tsunamis warning system still cannot completely prevent the loss of lives and
properties every time even though it has some successful cases from past until now.
Thus, GPS system, enhancement in investment, education are needed in order to
improve the efficacy of the tsunamis warning system. Therefore, the tsunamis warning
system can operate effectively and greatly minimize the casualties after the
improvement.
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