Assessment of the Effectiveness of a Sea-Level Observing Network for Tsunami Warning
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 3
Abstract
In this study, the Bureau of Meteorology’s recently expanded sea-level observing network is assessed for its ability to contribute to tsunami warnings. This is done by using modelled tsunami travel times and examining the network’s ability to observe any potential tsunami in a timely enough manner so that sufficient warning is provided to the Australian coastline. Although the overall coverage of the network is very high, the study does highlight a number of network gaps. The value of individual observation sites and their contribution to the warning characteristics of the network is also assessed. The results provide valuable guidance for network managers and also set a benchmark for evaluating possible future changes and enhancements to the network.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Andy Taylor and Malcolm Foo for their useful comments on the manuscript. The authors also thank the anonymous referees for their constructive comments.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2011). “Regional population growth.” Australia, 2009-10, Cat. No. 3218.0, Canberra Australia.
Bird, P. (2003). “An updated digital model of plate boundaries.” Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 4(3), 1027–1078.
Gill, S. K., and Fisher, K. M. (2008). “A network gaps analysis for the national water level observation network.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Technical Memorandum NOS CO-OPS 0048, National Ocean Service (NOS), Washington, DC.
Greenslade, D. J. M., Simanjuntak, M. A., and Allen, S. C. R. (2009). “An enhanced tsunami scenario database: T2.” CAWCR Technical Rep. No. 14., Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia.
Greenslade, D. J. M., Simanjuntak, M. A., Chittleborough, J., and Burbidge, D. (2007). “A first-generation real-time tsunami forecasting system for the Australian region.” BMRC Research Rep. No. 126, Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia.
Henson, J. I., et al. (2006). “Strategic geographic positioning of sea level gauges to aid in early detection of tsunami in the intra-American sea.” Sci. Tsunami Hazards, 25(3), 173–207.
Omira, R., et al. (2009). “Design of a sea-level tsunami detection network for the Gulf of Cadiz.” Nat. Hazards Earth Sci., 9(4), 1327–1338.
Spillane, M. C., Gica, T. E., Vasily, V., and Mofjeld, H. O. (2008). “Tsunameter network design for the U.S. DART® arrays in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Technical Memorandum OAR PMEL-143, National Ocean Service (NOS), Washington, DC.
Titov, V. V., and Synolakis, C. E. (1998). “Numerical modeling of tidal wave runup.” J. Waterw. Port Coast. Ocean Eng, 124(4), 157–171.
Tsunami Travel Times (TTT) [computer software]. (2007). “Ewa Beach, HI.” Geoware.
Warne, J., and Greenslade, D. J. M. (2008). “Tsunami network design and review—How do you know the tsunami will be observed by your network?” Proc. of the Int. Conf. on Tsunami Warning, Ministry of Research and Technology (RISTEK), Jakarta, Republic of Indonesia.
Wessel, P. (2009). “Analysis of observed and predicted tsunami travel times for the Pacific and Indian Oceans.” Pure Appl. Geophys.PAGYAV, 166(1–2), 301–324.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 3 • May 2012
Pages: 246 - 255
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 7, 2011
Accepted: Aug 29, 2011
Published online: Aug 29, 2011
Published in print: May 1, 2012
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.