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| NOAA Tsunami Program | |
|---|---|
| Name | NOAA Tsunami Program |
| Formation | 1940s |
| Headquarters | Silver Spring, Maryland |
| Parent organization | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
NOAA Tsunami Program The NOAA Tsunami Program coordinates National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration efforts to monitor, forecast, warn, and prepare populations for tsunami hazards associated with seismic, volcanic, and submarine landslide events. It integrates scientific research, operational warning systems, and community outreach across federal, state, and international partners including Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, National Weather Service, United States Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and International Tsunami Information Center. The Program draws on instrumentation networks, modeling centers, and education initiatives to reduce loss of life and property from tsunamis in the United States and the Pacific Ocean basin.
The Program operates a national framework linking observational assets such as DART buoys, coastal tide gauges maintained by the National Ocean Service, and seismic networks operated by USGS to forecasting systems at the National Weather Service. It issues warnings through the Emergency Alert System, Wireless Emergency Alerts, and the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System in coordination with regional centers including the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. Stakeholders include federal entities like the Department of Commerce, state governments such as California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, territorial administrations like Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and international partners through mechanisms like the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
Origins trace to post-1946 efforts after the 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake and the devastating 1946 Pacific tsunami, prompting international cooperation via the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the establishment of regional warning centers including the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Milestones include deployment of the first deep-ocean assessment and reporting of tsunami (DART) systems, expansion after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the establishment of modern modeling centers influenced by work at institutions like Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Legislative and policy drivers include actions by the United States Congress, directives from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and coordination with FEMA disaster resilience initiatives.
Administratively the Program functions within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and collaborates with the National Weather Service, National Ocean Service, and scientific offices such as the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research laboratories. It maintains partnerships with the United States Geological Survey, FEMA, state agencies including California Geological Survey, tribal governments, academic centers like Pacific Tsunami Warning Center affiliated universities, and international entities such as the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System. Cooperative agreements exist with non-governmental organizations such as the American Red Cross and research consortia including the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.
Operational detection integrates seismic data from USGS National Seismic Network, sea-level observations from PSMSL-linked tide gauges, and deep-ocean pressure sensors like DART buoys. Forecasting employs numerical models developed at centers including NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and university modelers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and University of Washington to run scenario-based inundation maps used by state hazard planners such as California Office of Emergency Services. Warnings are disseminated via the National Weather Service, Emergency Alert System, and local siren networks in jurisdictions like Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, coordinated with evacuation planning agencies and port authorities including Port of Seattle.
Preparedness programs leverage educational curricula developed with partners such as FEMA, the American Red Cross, and academic outreach groups at University of Hawaii Sea Grant to teach evacuation routes, vertical evacuation structures, and community drills like Tsunami Ready recognition programs administered by the National Weather Service. Public awareness campaigns reference historic events such as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and community resilience projects funded through FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation grants and state hazard mitigation plans like those in Oregon and Washington (state). Collaboration with tribal nations addresses culturally specific preparedness for communities in regions like Alaska and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Research priorities include improved early warning algorithms, tsunami source characterization from events like the 1964 Alaska earthquake, real-time inversion techniques developed at institutions such as Caltech and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and improved inundation modeling using high-resolution topography from USGS lidar missions. Technology initiatives encompass DART network upgrades, integration of crowd-sourced observations via platforms like Citizen Science partnerships, and cross-disciplinary studies with volcanic monitoring groups at USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory. Collaborative research programs involve National Science Foundation grants, university consortia, and international research coordinated through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
Funding derives from appropriations to the Department of Commerce and allocations within National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration budgets, supplemented by grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and programmatic support through FEMA hazard mitigation funds. Policy guidance is shaped by federal statutes, executive actions reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget, and interagency strategies involving Department of Homeland Security coordination. Program evaluation uses performance metrics tied to warning lead time, false alarm rates, and community preparedness outcomes reported to oversight bodies including the Government Accountability Office.
Category:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Category:Tsunami warning systems Category:Disaster preparedness