Scientists detect tsunami in real-time — and it could save countless lives
With increasingly more coastal communities comes an increased number of people exposed to the risk of tsunamis. Between 1998-2017, tsunamis caused more than 250,000 deaths globally, so it’s vital that disaster risk innovations are creating smart solutions to prepare for such natural disasters. A recent tsunami actually ended up as an early test, purely by chance, for a new detection system being developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California — one that could provide information crucial for early warnings. (Picture: Getty)
The tsunami in question was triggered by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in July. This tsunami sent pressure waves to the upper layer of the atmosphere, NASA scientists reported. Coincidentally, it happened the day after US space agency NASA had added an artificial intelligence component to the disaster alert system known as Guardian, which acts as an early warning system. (Picture: Getty)
The quick response to the tsunami showed just how far scientific understanding of these natural disasters have come over the last two decades, as warnings were able to flag the waves 30-40 minutes before they arrived. Almost as soon as news broke of the earthquake, tsunami warnings were issued and millions were told to evacuate across the locations at risk. (Picture: Getty)
Thankfully, fears of the widespread damage were not realised, and much of the tsunami’s energy dissipated in the open ocean. The largest waves hit unpopulated areas. But, if the tsunami had been worse, the extra time given by such a warning could have been vital. (Picture: Getty)
Guardian works by flagging distortions in the atmosphere, caused by pressure waves to the upper layer of the atmosphere. The system issued notifications to subscribed subject matter experts in as little as 20 minutes after the quake, according to NASA. (Picture: Getty)
The ability to sense sea surface motion from high above the Earth can help experts identify the signs of a tsunami, producing a snapshot of a tsunami’s rumble as it reaches the upper atmosphere ‘within about 10 minutes’. Guardian is not finished, however, and further enhancements to the system may be able to provide even more information for experts to predict the behaviour of waves moving across the ocean. (Picture: Getty)
JPL scientist Siddharth Krishnamoorthy stressed the importance of such technology, saying: ‘Those extra minutes of knowing something is coming could make a real difference when it comes to warning communities in the path.’ (Picture: Getty) Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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