A powerful earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in late July triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami, which NASA’s experimental detection system, GUARDIAN, monitored in real time by observing the atmosphere above.
GUARDIAN (GNSS Upper Atmospheric Real-time Disaster Information and Alert Network) uses signals from global navigation satellite systems like GPS. When a tsunami forms, the surge of water pushes on the air above it, sending pressure waves upward into the ionosphere, a high-altitude layer where satellites transmit navigation signals. These waves distort the signals in subtle ways, which GUARDIAN can detect, giving scientists early signs of a tsunami’s movement across the ocean before the waves reach land.
“Those extra minutes of knowing something is coming could make a real difference when it comes to warning communities in the path,” said JPL scientist Siddharth Krishnamoorthy.
During the July 29 event, GUARDIAN detected atmospheric disturbances within about 20 minutes of the magnitude 8.8 earthquake. As the tsunami traveled across the Pacific, the system confirmed clear signs of its approach roughly 30 to 40 minutes before the waves reached Hawaii and other coastal areas. Although the waves caused minimal damage, the demonstration showed that GUARDIAN can provide valuable lead time for coastal communities, just one day after a major software upgrade was deployed.
Christopher Moore, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Tsunami Research, said, “NASA’s GUARDIAN can help fill the gaps. It provides one more piece of information, one more valuable data point, that can help us determine, yes, we need to make the call to evacuate.”
GUARDIAN’s readings require expert interpretation, but the system is already among the fastest tsunami-monitoring tools available. Within about ten minutes of receiving satellite data, it can detect ripples in the upper atmosphere caused by a developing tsunami. By adding a space-based layer of observation to traditional tools like buoys and seismometers, GUARDIAN has the potential to improve early warnings for tsunamis worldwide.
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