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National Tsunami Warning Center

January 01, 1970

The National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) is one of two tsunami warning centers in the United States, covering all coastal regions of the United States and Canada, except Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Until 2013, it was known as the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

Tsunami evacuation routes are found in some regions prone to tsunamis

The NTWC, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), detects and analyzes earthquakes worldwide, issuing warnings to local officials in the hazard zones about the advisability of evacuating low-lying coastal areas and moving ships to deep water.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has the responsibility for areas of the U.S. which are not covered by NTWC.

History edit

Following the March 27, 1964 Alaska earthquake and tsunami, the NTWC (formerly known as The Palmer Observatory) was established in 1967 in Palmer, Alaska, under the auspices of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. This earthquake alerted State and Federal officials that a facility was necessary to provide timely and effective tsunami warnings and earthquake information to the coastal areas of Alaska. Congress provided funds in 1965 to construct two new observatories and establish a tsunami warning system in Alaska. The first observatory constructed was at the U.S. Naval Station on Adak Island in the Andreanof Islands in the Central Aleutians. The City of Palmer, in the Matanuska Valley 42 miles northeast of Anchorage, was selected as the site for the primary observatory due to its proximity to bedrock for instrumentation and to communications facilities. Construction of the observatory installations, the task of engineering and assembling the data systems, and the hookup of the extensive telecommunications and data telemetry network was completed in the summer of 1967. With the dedication of the Palmer Observatory on September 2, 1967, the Alaska Regional Tsunami Warning System (ARTWS) became operational.

Originally, the tsunami warning responsibility for Alaska was shared by the three observatories located at Palmer, Adak and Sitka. Sitka, a seismological observatory since 1904, and Fairbanks were the only two seismic stations operating in Alaska in 1964. The responsibilities of Adak and Sitka were limited to issuing a tsunami warning for events occurring within 300 miles of their location. In later years, the responsibility to provide tsunami warning services for Alaska was transferred from the Adak and Sitka observatories to the Palmer Observatory. Sitka and Adak Observatories were eventually closed in the early 1990s, although the seismic instrumentation is still maintained.

In 1973, the Palmer Observatory was transferred to the National Weather Service's Alaska Region and changed its name to Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (ATWC). In 1982, its area of responsibility (AOR) was enlarged to include the issuing of tsunami warnings to California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia for potential tsunamigenic earthquakes occurring in their coastal areas. In 1996, the responsibility was again expanded to include all Pacific-wide tsunamigenic sources that could affect the California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska coasts, and the name was changed to the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WC/ATWC) to reflect those new responsibilities.

In 2003, a new Tsunami Warning Center building was constructed in the yard of the original building. This new facility was the first LEED certified building in the state of Alaska, and within the U.S. Department of Commerce. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is granted by the U.S. Green Building Council, and awards environmentally sensitive construction practices. This new facility provides upgraded power and communications capability, as well as office space for the expanded staff, assuring that the center will continue to provide quality products to the public well into the future.

Following the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in late 2004, the WC/ATWC expanded its scope to the U.S. Atlantic coast, and the Atlantic coast of Canada. On 1 October 2013, the name was changed to the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) to reflect this expanded geographical zone of responsibility.

Coverage area edit

NTWC is the tsunami warning authority for the following regions:

Other parts of the United States are covered by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Overview of operations edit

To accomplish its mission of providing accurate and timely tsunami bulletins to its area-of-responsibility (AOR) – which includes Canadian coastal regions, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and the ocean coasts of all U.S. States except Hawaii – the NTWC detects, locates, sizes, and analyzes earthquakes worldwide. Earthquakes that activate the Center's alarm system initiate an earthquake and tsunami investigation which includes the following four basic steps: automatic locating and sizing the earthquake; earthquake analysis and review; sea level data analysis to verify the existence of a tsunami and to calibrate models; and disseminating information to the appropriate emergency management officials.

Tsunami bulletins are issued to state/province departments of emergency services; federal disaster preparedness agencies; National Weather Service offices; Canada's Atlantic Storm Prediction Center; Federal Aviation Administration offices; the U.S. Coast Guard; military bases; local emergency managers; United States Geological Survey offices; and many other recipients located in the U.S. and Canada. Earthquakes large enough to be felt near the coast, but below the tsunami warning/watch/advisory threshold size, prompt informational statements to the same recipients as warnings to help prevent needless evacuations.

In addition to its basic functions, the Center conducts a community preparedness program intended to increase public awareness of the tsunami hazard and improve tsunami planning at the community level. The Center also actively pursues developmental projects which enhance tsunami warning operations.

The Center operates 24 hours every day with two watchstanders on duty. Center personnel are notified of activity by an alarm system which is activated by several methods:

  • Sustained, strong oscillatory motion at individual seismometers.
  • Activation by multiple earthquake arrivals observed in sectors of the globe within a specified time interval.
  • Activation by a real-time seismic processing system when an earthquake exceeds a predetermined magnitude threshold for various regions throughout the world.
  • Deep ocean tsunami sensor detection of an event.

Alert levels edit

NTWC Tsunami Messages[2]
Alert Level Potential Hazard Public Action
Warning Dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents Move to high ground or inland
Advisory Strong currents and waves dangerous to those in or very near water Stay out of water, away from beaches and waterways
Watch Not yet known Stay tuned for more information, be prepared to act
Information No threat or very distant event for which hazard has not yet been determined No action needed at this time

Deep-ocean tsunami detection edit

 
A diagram of the DART II system
Further information: Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis

In 1995, NOAA began developing the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) system. By 2001, an array of six stations had been deployed in the Pacific Ocean.[3]

Beginning in 2005, as a result of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, plans were announced to add 32 more DART buoys to be operational by mid-2007.[4]

These stations give detailed information about tsunamis while they are still far off shore. Each station consists of a sea-bed bottom pressure recorder (at a depth of 1000–6000 m) which detects the passage of a tsunami and transmits the data to a surface buoy via acoustic modem. The surface buoy then radios the information to the NTWC via the GOES satellite system. The bottom pressure recorder lasts for two years while the surface buoy is replaced every year. The system has considerably improved the forecasting and warning of tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Criteria for public weather alerts
  2. ^ Tsunami Message Definitions
  3. ^ Historical DART Background Information
  4. ^ U.S. ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR AN IMPROVED TSUNAMI DETECTION AND WARNING SYSTEM

External links edit

  • Official website
    • Operation manual
  • Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

    January 01, 1970
    national, tsunami, warning, center, ntwc, tsunami, warning, centers, united, states, covering, coastal, regions, united, states, canada, except, hawaii, guam, northern, mariana, islands, puerto, rico, virgin, islands, until, 2013, known, west, coast, alaska, t. The National Tsunami Warning Center NTWC is one of two tsunami warning centers in the United States covering all coastal regions of the United States and Canada except Hawaii Guam the Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico and the U S Virgin Islands Until 2013 it was known as the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center Tsunami evacuation routes are found in some regions prone to tsunamis The NTWC operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA detects and analyzes earthquakes worldwide issuing warnings to local officials in the hazard zones about the advisability of evacuating low lying coastal areas and moving ships to deep water The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has the responsibility for areas of the U S which are not covered by NTWC Contents 1 History 2 Coverage area 3 Overview of operations 4 Alert levels 5 Deep ocean tsunami detection 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory editFollowing the March 27 1964 Alaska earthquake and tsunami the NTWC formerly known as The Palmer Observatory was established in 1967 in Palmer Alaska under the auspices of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey This earthquake alerted State and Federal officials that a facility was necessary to provide timely and effective tsunami warnings and earthquake information to the coastal areas of Alaska Congress provided funds in 1965 to construct two new observatories and establish a tsunami warning system in Alaska The first observatory constructed was at the U S Naval Station on Adak Island in the Andreanof Islands in the Central Aleutians The City of Palmer in the Matanuska Valley 42 miles northeast of Anchorage was selected as the site for the primary observatory due to its proximity to bedrock for instrumentation and to communications facilities Construction of the observatory installations the task of engineering and assembling the data systems and the hookup of the extensive telecommunications and data telemetry network was completed in the summer of 1967 With the dedication of the Palmer Observatory on September 2 1967 the Alaska Regional Tsunami Warning System ARTWS became operational Originally the tsunami warning responsibility for Alaska was shared by the three observatories located at Palmer Adak and Sitka Sitka a seismological observatory since 1904 and Fairbanks were the only two seismic stations operating in Alaska in 1964 The responsibilities of Adak and Sitka were limited to issuing a tsunami warning for events occurring within 300 miles of their location In later years the responsibility to provide tsunami warning services for Alaska was transferred from the Adak and Sitka observatories to the Palmer Observatory Sitka and Adak Observatories were eventually closed in the early 1990s although the seismic instrumentation is still maintained In 1973 the Palmer Observatory was transferred to the National Weather Service s Alaska Region and changed its name to Alaska Tsunami Warning Center ATWC In 1982 its area of responsibility AOR was enlarged to include the issuing of tsunami warnings to California Oregon Washington and British Columbia for potential tsunamigenic earthquakes occurring in their coastal areas In 1996 the responsibility was again expanded to include all Pacific wide tsunamigenic sources that could affect the California Oregon Washington British Columbia and Alaska coasts and the name was changed to the West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Center WC ATWC to reflect those new responsibilities In 2003 a new Tsunami Warning Center building was constructed in the yard of the original building This new facility was the first LEED certified building in the state of Alaska and within the U S Department of Commerce LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification is granted by the U S Green Building Council and awards environmentally sensitive construction practices This new facility provides upgraded power and communications capability as well as office space for the expanded staff assuring that the center will continue to provide quality products to the public well into the future Following the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in late 2004 the WC ATWC expanded its scope to the U S Atlantic coast and the Atlantic coast of Canada On 1 October 2013 the name was changed to the National Tsunami Warning Center NTWC to reflect this expanded geographical zone of responsibility Coverage area editNTWC is the tsunami warning authority for the following regions Country Areas United States Alaska Washington Oregon California Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Maine Maryland Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Rhode Island South Carolina Virginia Alabama Louisiana Mississippi Texas Canada British Columbia Nova Scotia New Brunswick Prince Edward Island Newfoundland and Labrador Quebec 1 Other parts of the United States are covered by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Overview of operations editThis section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information August 2023 To accomplish its mission of providing accurate and timely tsunami bulletins to its area of responsibility AOR which includes Canadian coastal regions Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and the ocean coasts of all U S States except Hawaii the NTWC detects locates sizes and analyzes earthquakes worldwide Earthquakes that activate the Center s alarm system initiate an earthquake and tsunami investigation which includes the following four basic steps automatic locating and sizing the earthquake earthquake analysis and review sea level data analysis to verify the existence of a tsunami and to calibrate models and disseminating information to the appropriate emergency management officials Tsunami bulletins are issued to state province departments of emergency services federal disaster preparedness agencies National Weather Service offices Canada s Atlantic Storm Prediction Center Federal Aviation Administration offices the U S Coast Guard military bases local emergency managers United States Geological Survey offices and many other recipients located in the U S and Canada Earthquakes large enough to be felt near the coast but below the tsunami warning watch advisory threshold size prompt informational statements to the same recipients as warnings to help prevent needless evacuations In addition to its basic functions the Center conducts a community preparedness program intended to increase public awareness of the tsunami hazard and improve tsunami planning at the community level The Center also actively pursues developmental projects which enhance tsunami warning operations The Center operates 24 hours every day with two watchstanders on duty Center personnel are notified of activity by an alarm system which is activated by several methods Sustained strong oscillatory motion at individual seismometers Activation by multiple earthquake arrivals observed in sectors of the globe within a specified time interval Activation by a real time seismic processing system when an earthquake exceeds a predetermined magnitude threshold for various regions throughout the world Deep ocean tsunami sensor detection of an event Alert levels editNTWC Tsunami Messages 2 Alert Level Potential Hazard Public Action Warning Dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents Move to high ground or inland Advisory Strong currents and waves dangerous to those in or very near water Stay out of water away from beaches and waterways Watch Not yet known Stay tuned for more information be prepared to act Information No threat or very distant event for which hazard has not yet been determined No action needed at this timeDeep ocean tsunami detection edit nbsp A diagram of the DART II system Further information Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis In 1995 NOAA began developing the Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis DART system By 2001 an array of six stations had been deployed in the Pacific Ocean 3 Beginning in 2005 as a result of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake plans were announced to add 32 more DART buoys to be operational by mid 2007 4 These stations give detailed information about tsunamis while they are still far off shore Each station consists of a sea bed bottom pressure recorder at a depth of 1000 6000 m which detects the passage of a tsunami and transmits the data to a surface buoy via acoustic modem The surface buoy then radios the information to the NTWC via the GOES satellite system The bottom pressure recorder lasts for two years while the surface buoy is replaced every year The system has considerably improved the forecasting and warning of tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean See also editPacific Tsunami Warning Center the other warning center in the U S References edit Criteria for public weather alerts Tsunami Message Definitions Historical DART Background Information U S ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR AN IMPROVED TSUNAMI DETECTION AND WARNING SYSTEMExternal links editOfficial website Operation manual Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Pacific Tsunami Warning System webpage DART system homepage Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title National Tsunami Warning Center amp oldid 1186706613, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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