Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Experts at Nevada develop technology to increase effectiveness of tsunami warning systems

Experts at Nevada develop technology to increase effectiveness of tsunami warning systems

April 03, 2007

RENO, Nev. — Scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno are at the forefront on a number of seismological fields, including helping the world better determine whether an earthquake is big enough to generate an ocean-wide tsunami.

Through work at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory on the Nevada campus, important data on seismological events throughout the world is compiled, including Monday's fatal occurrence in the Solomon Islands, where at least 13 people were killed. Tsunamis triggered by an undersea earthquake crashed ashore and wiped away entire villages and set off alerts from Australia to Hawaii.




A research team led by Geoffrey Blewitt of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and Seismological Laboratory has demonstrated that a large quake's true size can be determined within 15 minutes using Global Positioning System data. This swift exchange of information, which is much faster than is possible with current methods, can be critical in determining whether an earthquake might trigger a tsunami. Together with a seismometer and ocean buoy data, GPS has the potential to become an important tool in improving tsunami danger assessments, Blewitt said.

"We'll always need seismology as the first level of alert for large earthquakes, and we'll need ocean buoys to actually sense the tsunami waves," said Blewitt, whose work was originally accomplished through the NASA-funded Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Blewitt's team recently was granted further funding from the U.S. Geological Survey's Natural Hazards Reduction Program to continue research and development.

"The advantage of including GPS in warning systems is that it quickly tells how much the ocean floor moved, and that information can directly set tsunami models into motion."

University seismological experts such as John Anderson, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Richard Schweickert, professor of geological sciences and engineering, have used analysis similar to that used in studying the propagation of tsunamis in oceans in determining the likelihood of a tsunami occurring at Lake Tahoe, which straddles both the states of Nevada and California. Anderson, considered one of the country's foremost earthquake experts, said that those who live along shorelines should always be aware that tsunamis can occur.

"If there is ever a strong earthquake at Lake Tahoe, for example, where the shaking is really strong for more than 10 seconds, anyone less than 50 feet above the lake level should run to higher ground as soon as the shaking stops," Anderson said.

Nevada's land-grant university founded in 1874, the University of Nevada, Reno has more than 16,000 students and four campuses with Cooperative Extension education programs in all Nevada counties. The University is listed as one of the country's top 150 research institutions by the Carnegie Foundation, and is home to America's sixth-largest study abroad program and the state's medical school.

University of Nevada, Reno



Related Tsunami Current Events and Tsunami News Articles Tsunami Current Events and Tsunami News RSS Tsunami Current Events and Tsunami News RSS
On the crest of wave energy
The ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet as engineers test new technologies for capturing it, the devices are plagued by battering storms, limited efficiency, and the need to be tethered to the seafloor.

Fortuitous research provides first detailed documentation of tsunami erosion
Tsunamis are among the most-devastating natural calamities. These earthquake-generated waves can quickly engulf low-lying land and bring widespread destruction and death. They can deposit sand and debris far inland from where they came ashore.

Tsunami waves reasonably likely to strike Israel
"There is a likely chance of tsunami waves reaching the shores of Israel," says Dr. Beverly Goodman of the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa following an encompassing geo-archaeological study at the port of Caesarea. "Tsunami events in the Mediterranean do occur less frequently than in the Pacific Ocean, but our findings reveal a moderate rate of recurrence," she says.

Tsunami evacuation buildings: another way to save lives in the Pacific Northwest
Some time soon, a powerful earthquake will trigger a massive tsunami that will flood the Pacific Northwest, destroying homes and threatening the lives of tens of thousands of people, says Yumei Wang, a geotechnical engineer at the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries in Portland.

New publication offers security tips for WiMAX networks
Government agencies and other organizations planning to use WiMAX- Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access-networks can get technical advice on improving the security of their systems from a draft computer security guide prepared by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Scientists return from first ever riser drilling operations in seismogenic zone
he Deep-sea Drilling Vessel CHIKYU successfully completed riser drilling operations on Aug. 31, for IODP Expedition 319, Stage 2 of the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE).

Ocean-drilling expedition cites new evidence related to origin and evolution of seismogenic faults
New research about what triggers earthquakes, authored by Michael Strasser of Bremen University, Germany, with colleagues from the USA, Japan, China, France, and Germany, will appear in the Aug. 16 2009 issue of Nature Geoscience.

A new cloaking method
University of Utah mathematicians developed a new cloaking method, and it's unlikely to lead to invisibility cloaks like those used by Harry Potter or Romulan spaceships in "Star Trek." Instead, the new method someday might shield submarines from sonar, planes from radar, buildings from earthquakes, and oil rigs and coastal structures from tsunamis.

Pacific tsunami threat greater than expected
The potential for a huge Pacific Ocean tsunami on the West Coast of America may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study of geological evidence along the Gulf of Alaska coast.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Expansion of coastal cities is accompanied by a decline in the quality of life of the people, which was the reason they moved to the coastal zone instead of bringing growing welfare to the inhabitants.
More Tsunami Current Events and Tsunami News Articles
National Geographic - Tsunami: Killer Wave

National Geographic - Tsunami: Killer Wave

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 05/24/2005 Run time: 52 minutes Rating: Nr

Tsunami!

Tsunami!
by Kimiko Kajikawa (Author), Ed Young (Illustrator)

Ojiisan, the oldest and wealthiest man in the village, doesn’t join the others at the rice ceremony. Instead he watches from his balcony. He feels something is coming—something he can’t describe. When he sees the monster wave pulling away from the beach, he knows. Tsunami! But the villagers below can’t see the danger. Will Ojiisan risk everything he has to save them? Can he?

Illustrated in stunning collage by Caldecott winner Ed Young, here is the unforgettable story of how one man’s simple sacrifi ce saved hundreds of lives. An extraordinary celebration of both the power of nature and the power each of us holds within.

Tsunami - The Aftermath

Tsunami - The Aftermath
Starring: Tim Roth, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Okonedo, Hugh Bonneville, Gina McKee
Directed By: Bharat Nalluri
Also With: Abi Morgan (Producer), Abi Morgan (Writer), Charles Hubbard (Producer), Colin Callender (Producer), Derek Wax (Producer), Finola Dwyer (Producer), Jane Featherstone (Producer)

A tale of personal loss, survival and hope, this HBO mini-series focuses on the harrowing aftermath of the tsunami that devastated the coast of Thailand on December 26, 2004. Filmed on location in Thailand, Tsunami, The Aftermath follows a group of characters whose lives are irrevocably transformed by the cataclysmic natural disaster. Among those whose stories are followed are: a young couple searching for their child; a Thai survivor who loses his family and tries to prevent developers from seizing the land his village is built on; an Englishwoman whose husband and son are missing; an ambitious reporter; a relief worker; an overwhelmed British official whose faith in the system is torn apart; and a leading Thai meteorologist, whose earlier report detailing the inevitability of a tsunami...

Metra Tsunami - Battery terminals (pack of 2 )

Metra Tsunami - Battery terminals (pack of 2 )
by METRA Ltd

Marketing description is not available.

The Heart's Tremolo

The Heart's Tremolo
by Tsunami



Tsunami 2004 - Waves of Death

Tsunami 2004 - Waves of Death

The earthquake measured 9.3 on the Richter scale, the second strongest ever recorded. But what came afterwards was worse. The 2004 Tsunami was one of the worst natural disasters in history, killing some 200,000 people in 14 countries. WAVES OF DEATH is a minute-by-minute look at nature's fury at its worst. This captivating special examines the tsunami as it moves from coast to coast through the eyes of people who lived through it and scientists now studying its path of devastation. Drawing on the extraordinary volume of amateur video that recorded the event, TSUNAMI 2004 draws viewers inside a disaster so great that recovery will take years--if not decades.

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Magic Tree House Research Guide #15: Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters: A Nonfiction Companion to High Tide in Hawaii (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Magic Tree House Research Guide #15: Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters: A Nonfiction Companion to High Tide in Hawaii (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
by Mary Pope Osborne (Author), Natalie Pope Boyce (Author), Sal Murdocca (Illustrator)

What are the warning signs that a tsunami is on the way? Can scientists predict earthquakes? How do volcanoes form? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide: Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters, Jack and Annie's guide to geological disasters. This is the nonfiction companion to High Tide in Hawaii (Magic Tree House #28).

Tsunami: The Wave that Shook the World

Tsunami: The Wave that Shook the World
Starring: Nova



Tsunami Design Protective Skin Decal Sticker for Apple iPhone (2G)

Tsunami Design Protective Skin Decal Sticker for Apple iPhone (2G)
by MyGift

This scatch resistant Skin Sticker helps to protect your Apple iPhone (2G) while making an impression. Self-adhesive plastic-coated skins cover the front and back of the phone and are custom cut to perfectly fit the Apple iPhone (2G). Skins are paper-thin so they do not add any bulk. They're like stickers, easy to apply (no bubbles), durable and easily removable without any residue. (Note: Due to differences in monitors, color may vary from photo.) NOT compatible with Apple iPhone 3G.

O'Neill Junior's "Tsunami" Raglan Sleeve Top,Heather Grey,Medium

O'Neill Junior's "Tsunami" Raglan Sleeve Top,Heather Grey,Medium
by O'Neill



© 2009 BrightSurf.com