IAG-IASPEI 2017

Presentation information

Oral

IAG Symposia » G07. Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) and Earth monitoring services

[G07-3] GGOS focus on geohazards and sea level

Fri. Aug 4, 2017 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Room 502 (Kobe International Conference Center 5F, Room 502)

Chairs: Richard Gross (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology) , Toshimichi Otsubo (Hitotsubashi University)

8:45 AM - 9:00 AM

[G07-3-02] Global Navigation Satellite System Tsunami Early Warning Project

Gerald Bawden1, John Rundle2, John LaBrecque3 (1.National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC, 2.University of California, Davis, California, 3.University of Texas, Austin, TX)

The past decade has witnessed a terrible loss of life from large earthquakes and resultant tsunamis in the Indo-Pacific region. Algorithms based on real-time GNSS data and science now exist to rapidly determine the likelihood that a tsunami will be generated from a large earthquake, to predict their extent, inundation, and runup, and to track the tsunami as it propagates through the ocean basins. The algorithms use real-time GNSS in combination with other sensors to measure ground displacements generated by large earthquakes to quickly estimate critical parameters (magnitude, depth, length, spatially slip distribution along strike and dip of the fault, rupture direction) used to assess the likelihood that earthquake generated a tsunami and then to measure disturbances in the ionosphere generated by the propagating tsunamis. An experimental prototype GNSS-based tsunami early warning system could be developed that would initially incorporate real-time data from existing networks in economies around the circum- and intra- Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. This prototype requires access to real-time GNSS data distributed throughout earthquake and tsunami prone regions. In this talk, we discuss this technology and its considerable promise. We also report on a workshop, funded by NASA, to understand the feasibility of deploying such a system around the Pacific Rim during the next decade. The workshop, to be held in Sendai during July 25-27, 2017, has the goals:

- Identify what GNSS resources (networks, processing centers, telecommunication, etc.) will be necessary to develop real-time GNSS early warning capabilities throughout the entire Pacific Rim region
- Assess data gaps in the current Pacific-wide networks, develop strategies on the best approaches to fill the gaps
- Review the state-of-the-art early warning approaches with an eye towards emergency response community.

We conclude with a summary of actionable items to be carried out following this workshop.