Tsunami Warning System Complete

The final two buoys in the United States tsunami detection network were recently launched, completing a project that was started following the December 2004 tsunami that struck Indonesia.

The final two buoys are linked to sensors on the ocean floor that measure pressure. This information is then relayed to NOAA tsunami warning centers by the buoy floating above. There are a total of 39 buoys in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico that provide real time data that keep coastal communities in the United States safe.

Since the 2004 tsunami, the United States has been working to upgrade our tsunami warning system. The upgrades include eight seismic stations that have been installed or upgraded. Forty nine new or upgraded tide gauges have been installed. The number of buoys was increased from 6 to the current total of 39. Several new computer models that forecast inundation have been developed, and a new tsunami warning system has been implemented.

Before the big tsunami in 2004, the United States concentrated mostly on the Pacific Islands, Alaska and the West Coast for tsunami warning. The new system now includes the East Coast, including South Carolina.

Posted by on 08/21 at 08:22 PM

Has South Carolina or anywhere else on the east coast or gulf ever been hit with a tsunami Frank? If so when?

Posted by  on  08/22  at  10:00 AM

Good question, Dave. I wondered the same thing. There isn’t much information out there on documented tsunamis and North America.
I did find one interesting article on the risk and impact.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/nyregion/03wave.html

Posted by  on  08/22  at  11:06 AM

As I suspected Frank, the chances are low on the east coast, per that story. I have relatives that have lived and some still do live on Kodiak Island, Alaska where tsunami warnings are common but rarely occur.

Hurricanes and tornadoes are enough to worry about.

Posted by  on  08/22  at  01:06 PM

I was speaking with someone recently about the threat for tsunamis in South Carolina and was told about a threat from a tsunami being generated from the Azore Islands. They are volcanic islands which tend to have underwater landslides. A big one could generate a tsunami…. but the risk is so low, I don’t think it is worth worrying about.

Posted by  on  08/22  at  04:40 PM

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