Tsuinfo Alert, August 2008
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Contents Volume 10, Number 4 August 2008 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Special features Departments Latest oceanic fiber-optic cable detects undersea quakes 1 Hazard mitigation news 6 Firing up your geospatial technology tools 3 Websites 9 Simplifying coastal digital elevation models 4 Publications 8 Clallam Bay tsunami tower getting a new home 5 Conferences/seminars/symposium 10 Ocean surface topography mission/Jason-2 11 Movies 10 Summer vacation assignment 15 State Emergency Management offices 12 Australia’s tsunami risk unveiled 17 Material added to NTHMP Library 13 New Zealand’s tsunami signs 17 IAQ 20 September is National Preparedness Month 18 Video reservations 16 DHS sets up emergency satellite communication service 18 NGDC tsunami inundation gridding project 19 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Latest oceanic fiber-optic cable detects undersea quakes By Martyn Williams , IDG News Service , 07/07/2008 Reprinted with permission The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began laying a fiber-optic cable under the Pacific Ocean on Sunday but it won't be used for telecommunications. The cable is part of an advanced monitoring and alert system that could provide warning should a destructive earthquake occur close to Japan. Undersea earthquakes are particularly dangerous because they can start tsunami, or tidal waves -- destructive waves that possess much more energy that normal waves. Japan has been hit by killer tsunami waves in the past but the most famous series of tsunami waves are those that occurred in December 2004 following an earthquake off Indonesia. More than 225,000 people are estimated to have been killed in their wake. The new fiber cable extends 220 kilometers off the south coast of Japan near Shizuoka prefecture -- an area that has long been viewed by seismologists as having a significant chance of a major earthquake. Along the cable are nine large pods, each about 2 meters long and 26 centimeters wide. The pods were developed by NEC as part of the project. In five of the pods are earthquake sensors, in three are tsunami sensors and the final one handles signal relay from the far end of the cable back to shore. From the shore the signals are sent to data processing centers in Tokyo and Osaka. The two cities are several hundred kilometers apart so should one be affected by an earthquake, the other should keep running. Data from the pods will be used to help better determine the location and size of undersea earthquakes and the chances of a tidal wave. Japan is one of the most seismically active nations in the world and is hit by several earthquakes per day that are strong enough to be felt. As a result it has a highly sophisticated earthquake reporting system, and typically the size and intensity of a quake is announced by the JMA and flashed over TV screens within 2 or 3 minutes of it occurring. An integral part of this reporting system is whether danger of a tsunami exists. A more recent innovation is an early-warning system that seeks to provide notice seconds in advance of strong quakes. The system monitors the fast moving but weak primary waves to quickly determine the approximate location and intensity of a quake and attempts to get out a warning in advance of the more destructive secondary waves. Recently the warning system provided about 13 seconds warning of a strong quake to the 1 million residents of Sendai city in northern Japan. The warning system can't yet provide alerts fast enough to those very close to the epicenter but it's still in its early days having started operation last October. Continued on page 3 TsuInfo Alert is prepared by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources on behalf of the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, a State/Federal Partnership funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is assembled by Lee Walkling, Librarian, and is published bi-monthly by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources. This publication is free upon request and is available in print (by surface mail), and at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/Topics/GeologyPublicationsLibrary/Pages/tsuinfo.aspx Participants in the TsuInfo program can request copies of reports listed in this issue from: Washington Geology Library Washington Department of Natural Resources Division of Geology and Earth Resources 1111 Washington Street SE, MS 47007 Olympia, WA 98504-7007 360/902-1473 fax: 360/902-1785 e-mail: [email protected] The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of NOAA, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, or other sponsors of TsuInfo Alert. ISSN 1938-5064 TsuInfo Alert, v. 10, no. 4, August 2008 2 (Continued from page 1) data and tools that are available. Another eight percent The new cable is being laid by the Subaru, a ship would like to use geospatial data and tools to a greater owned by Japanese telecom carrier NTT that is especially degree but do not know what is available. And nine per- built for the job. It set sail from Yokohama port on Thurs- cent do not know what sorts of geospatial data and tools day last week. Before the journey reporters were allowed are in use at their workplace. on-board to see how the ship works. Cable sits in a large circular storage area that is sev- Get acquainted with the terminology eral stories high in the center of the ship. On Thursday it How do you start reaping the benefits of geospatial contained just the 220 kilometers for the new cable sys- technology when you know little about the topic? First, tem but can store up to 5,000 kilometers. Just like pulling thumbnail definitions are in order. The three technology a piece of string from the center of a ball, the cable is systems mentioned below operate independently but can pulled up to the deck level of the ship and then through a also be used in combination: series of pulleys and wheels before disappearing over the *Geographic information system (GIS) back of the boat and into the ocean. This system captures, analyzes, manages, or stores data In the deep ocean it sits on the seabed but closer to and information that has spatial references to the earth’s land a trench needs to be dug so it lays under the surface surface. GIS can help users locate and manage assets and for protection. A simple digger sits on the back of the ship resources, calculate emergency response times, assess and can be dropped into the water to create the trench environmental impacts, complete scientific studies, and when required. analyze large amounts of map-based data. The Subaru will be at sea for a few weeks laying the *Remote sensing cable. These tools collect information about land and water areas From: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/070708- from a distance—for instance, from aircraft, spacecraft, latest-oceanic-fiber-optic-cable-detects.html?hpg1=bn ♦ satellites, buoys, or ships. Remote sensing can aid the analysis of land and the marine floor, fisheries habitats, and shoreline erosion. Firing up your geospatial technology skills—Forge a *Global positioning system (GPS) step-by-step approach to find the right training, data, This hardware uses satellites and devices to compute vari- and tools. ous positions on the earth’s surface. GPS devices help us- From: Coastal Connections, v. 6, issue 3, p. 1-3, ers determine the locations of specific items in the field, June/July 2008. such as protected resources, and can export those features Reprinted with permission from NOAA Coastal Services Center to a GIS analysis. By now, nearly every coastal professional has at- tended a presentation or two where the terms “GPS,” Investigate training and product features “GIS,” and “remote sensing” are bandied about. More Next, check out available training courses. The than likely, the presenters extol the benefits of these geo- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spatial technologies in mapping habitat or land cover, (NOAA) Coastal Services Center offers eight courses in evaluating storm impacts, or crafting large-scale conser- geospatial technology, which range from an introductory vation plans. GIS course for nontechnologists to an advanced, hands-on Participants listening to such presentations are im- training in coastal inundation mapping. pressed—unfortunately, many of them still don’t have a Technology novices can become intimidated by the clue how to start using these tools once they return to different training and product choices, not knowing which their workplaces. ones will yield the best results for their coastal circum- The use of geospatial technology tools in coastal re- stances. If this is the case with you, consider taking one of source management has grown significantly in the past the Center courses flagged as “basic,” where you can decade—but even seasoned users do not always take max- receive guidance on the matter. imum advantage, a point illustrated by 2007 survey re- “We don’t advocate one software package over an- sults from the National Association of Counties (NACo). other, but we can provide information to help organiza- The survey was given to NACo members in all major tions weigh their needs against the advantages of different coastal regions. Targeted respondents were likely to have GIS products,” says Steve Walker, A GIS training coordi- more exposure to these technologies than the general pop- nator with the Center. ulation. Several were members of NACo’s technology Some Center courses can be brought to your area. committees, and professional affiliations ranged from [To learn more: www.csc.noaa.gov/training/.] “We’ve geospatial specialists and coastal managers to county em- found that it makes sense to teach courses ‘on the road,’” ployeees in environmental engineering and science.