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Tacoma, Washington, Tsunami Hazard Mapping Project: Modeling Tsunami Inundation from Tacoma and Seattle Fault Earthquakes
"As part of a tsunami hazard mapping project funded by the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, the NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] Center for Tsunami Research (formerly known as the NOAA Center for Tsunami Inundation Mapping Efforts) modeled tsunami inundation for the at-risk coastal community of Tacoma, Washington. Three tsunamigenic moment magnitude 7.3 earthquake source scenarios within the lower Puget Sound region were investigated: one along the Seattle Fault, and two along the Tacoma fault based on the most recent geophysical evidence. A high-resolution tsunami model was applied to estimate tsunami propagation in the southern Puget Sound region and inundation along the greater Tacoma area. These model results (Appendix A) were provided to the State of Washington for use in tsunami hazard maps to assist in the design of evacuation plans for the at-risk study area."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (U.S.)
Venturato, Angie J.; Titov, Vasily V.; Arcas, Diego Rodriguez, 1970-
2007-01
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Maritime Security: Varied Actions Taken to Enhance Cruise Ship Security, but Some Concerns Remain, Report to the Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives
"Over 9 million passengers departed from U.S. ports on cruise ships in 2008, and according to agency officials, cruise ships are attractive terrorist targets. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review cruise ship security, and this report addresses the extent to which (1) the Coast Guard, the lead federal agency on maritime security, assessed risk in accordance with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) guidance and identified risks; and (2) federal agencies, cruise ship and facility operators, and law enforcement entities have taken actions to protect cruise ships and their facilities. GAO reviewed relevant requirements and agency documents on maritime security, analyzed 2006 through 2008 security operations data, interviewed federal and industry officials, and made observations at seven ports. GAO selected these locations based on factors such as the number of sailings from each port. Results of the visits provided additional information on security, but were not projectable to all ports. GAO recommends that the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the unified border security agency in DHS, conduct a study to determine whether requiring cruise lines to provide passenger reservation data to CBP would benefit homeland security, and if found to be of substantial benefit, determine the appropriate mechanism to issue this requirement. DHS concurred with our recommendation."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2010-04-09
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North African Franchise: AQIM's Threat to U.S. Security
"Al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is a growing and evolving North African franchise of Al Qaeda. While the group carries out a significant number of attacks within the Sahel, they have not executed attacks in the United States or Europe. There is significant research concerning the historical development of AQIM . However, there is a dearth of literature on the threat that this group poses to the United States. The purpose of this paper is to fill this research gap and evaluate the threat that AQIM poses to US security. My analysis will demonstrate that AQIM's operations in Europe and Iraq are a security threat to US facilities and personnel. Moreover, this paper will demonstrate that AQIM has both the intent and capability to conduct attacks against US targets in Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Contemporary Conflict
Isaacs, Russell J.
2009-12
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Overview of Civilian Police and Rule of Law Programs: General Information Fact Sheet
"A cornerstone of stable and democratic nations is a criminal justice system in which citizens broadly accept and voluntarily comply with the law. As part of the U.S. Government's mission to support the emergence of stable democracies, especially in areas that have suffered from years of civil strife, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Office of Civilian Police and Rule of Law Programs (INL/CIV) supports programs to help institutionalize sustainable criminal justice sectors, instill public trust in the Rule of Law and protect human rights. INL/CIV's support, often in cooperation with other nations or international bodies, is designed to promote the following institutions: 1) Civilian police/law enforcement that prevents, detects and investigates violations of criminal law to identify, apprehend and assist in the prosecution of persons suspected of such violations; 2) Public prosecutors to review evidence gathered in a case, make determinations regarding the appropriateness of initiating a criminal prosecution and presenting cases to the courts for adjudication; 3) Courts that administer cases, set initial adjudication of guilt or innocence, and conduct appellate review of cases for final determinations of guilt or innocence; 4) Prisons or correctional facilities designed to incarcerate and reform those convicted of criminal offenses."
United States. Department of State
2009-01-20
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Fire Service Integration for Fusion Centers: An Appendix to the Baseline Capabilities for State and Major Urban Area Fusion Centers
"This document identifies recommended actions and guidance for state and major urban area fusion centers (fusion centers) to effectively integrate the fire service into the fusion process. Within the context of this document, the fire service is defined as including fire and emergency operations, emergency medical service operations, rescue operations, hazardous materials operations, fire prevention/protection, fire investigation, incident management, and responder safety. [...]. The document is an appendix to the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative's (Global) Baseline Capabilities for State and Major Urban Area Fusion Centers (Baseline Capabilities document), which defines the capabilities and guidance necessary for a fusion center to be considered capable of performing basic functions (e.g., the gathering, processing, analysis, and dissemination of terrorism, homeland security, and law enforcement information). The document does not identify additional capabilities for fusion centers. Rather, the document identifies how fusion centers can effectively integrate the fire service into their existing analysis and information/intelligence sharing processes. In addition, this document provides federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial fire service organizations with an overview of the mutual operational value in working with their local fusion center, as well as different options for establishing relationships with the fusion center."
United States. Department of Justice; United States. Department of Homeland Security
2010-04
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Food Safety: FDA Could Strengthen Oversight of Imported Food by Improving Enforcement and Seeking Additional Authorities, Statement of Lisa Shames, Director Natural Resources and Environment, Testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives
"Food imported from around the world constitutes a substantial and increasing percentage of the U.S. food supply. Ensuring the safety of imported food challenges the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to better target its resources on the foods posing the greatest risks to public health and to coordinate efforts with the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP) so that unsafe food does not enter U.S. commerce. This testimony focuses on (1) FDA's overseas inspections, (2) identified gaps in agencies' enforcement efforts to ensure the safety of imported food, and (3) statutory authorities that GAO has identified that could help FDA's oversight of food safety. This testimony is principally based on GAO's September 2009 report, Food Safety: Agencies Need to Address Gaps in Enforcement and Collaboration to Enhance Safety of Imported Food (GAO-09-873) and has been updated with information from FDA. GAO previously recommended that FDA explore a unique identifier for firms, among other things. GAO also recommended FDA seek statutory authorities as needed, such as for preventive controls. FDA has agreed with these recommendations and has sought needed authorities."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2010-05-06
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National Broadband Plan
This Federal Communications Commission offers information regarding "the National Broadband Plan lays out a bold roadmap to America's future. These initiatives will stimulate economic growth, spur job creation, and boost our capabilities in education, healthcare, homeland security and more. Explore the Plan below and learn more about how affordable, high-speed broadband access will help America lead in the 21st century."
United States. Federal Communications Commission
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Personnel Accountability in Conjunction with Natural or Manmade Disasters [May 3. 2010]
"This Instruction reissues DoD Instruction (DoDI) 3001.02 (Reference (a)), in accordance with the authority in DoD Directive (DoDD) 5124.02 (Reference (b)), to establish policy and assign responsibilities for accounting and reporting of specified DoD-affiliated personnel, within the continental United States (CONUS) and outside the continental United States (OCONUS), following a natural or manmade disaster (hereafter referred to collectively as 'disaster')."
United States. Department of Defense
2010-05-03
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Intelligence Secrecy and Transparency: Finding the Proper Balance from the War of Independence to the War on Terror
"It is comforting to know that the tension between America's desire for transparency in its government's activities and the secrecy required for effective intelligence operations predates the Republic. For much of its history, America ingeniously dealt with the transparency vice secrecy dilemma by either disbanding or shrinking its small intelligence services after every military conflict. As Mark Lowenthal points out, the United States did not have a national intelligence organization for 170 years of its existence. Indeed, it was not until the 1880s that the U.S. Navy and Army, alarmed by the rapid technological advances of their European counterparts, established small and permanent intelligence organizations with dedicated budgets and personnel. Since these military intelligence organizations were focused primarily on foreign military capabilities, and operated for the most part overseas, they received little media or congressional attention.[…] For clarity, this article assumes that by intelligence secrecy, one means that, with few exceptions, the executive branch and its subordinate intelligence agencies decide who will be given access to sensitive intelligence on sources and methods, and at times, covert operations. Conversely, the demand for greater transparency and oversight of U.S. intelligence activities would come from an American public suspicious of such concentration of power within the executive branch."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Contemporary Conflict
Doorey, Timothy J.
2007-05
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Environmental Assessment: Mapaville FPD Proposed FIre Station, Festus, MO
This is an environmental assessment of the Mapaville Fire Station in Festus, Missouri. The purpose of this document is to comply with and support the "Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Station Construction Grants" process.
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2010-04
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Terrorist Watchlist Screening: FBI Has Enhanced Its Use of Information from Firearm and Explosives Background Checks to Support Counterterrorism Efforts, Statement of Eileen R. Larence, Director, Homeland Security and Justice, Testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate
"Membership in a terrorist organization does not prohibit a person from possessing firearms or explosives under current federal law. However, for homeland security and other purposes, the FBI is notified when a firearm or explosives background check involves an individual on the terrorist watchlist. This statement addresses (1) how many checks have resulted in matches with the terrorist watchlist, (2) how the FBI uses information from these checks for counterterrorism purposes, and (3) pending legislation that would give the Attorney General authority to deny certain checks. GAO's testimony is based on products issued in January 2005 and May 2009 and selected updates in March and April 2010. For these updates, GAO reviewed policies and other documentation and interviewed officials at FBI components involved with terrorism-related background checks. GAO is not making new recommendations, but has made prior recommendations to the Attorney General to help ensure that background checks involving individuals on the terrorist watchlist are properly handled and that allowable information from these checks is shared with counterterrorism officials, which the FBI has implemented. GAO also suggested that Congress consider adding a provision to any future legislation that would require the Attorney General to define when firearms or explosives could be denied, which has been included in a subsequent bill."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2010-05-05
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Population at Risk from Natural Hazards
"Generally, coastal hazards can be defined as episodic or chronic destructive natural system events that affect coastal areas. A variety of such events regularly threaten the nation's coastal inhabitants. Severe meteorological events such as hurricanes, tropical cyclones and northeasters often bring high winds, storm surges, flooding and shoreline erosion that are particularly damaging to coastal areas. Other hazards, while not exclusively coastal, can pose special threats to coastal locations. For example, earthquakes are more likely to incur the catastrophic impacts of liquifaction in some coastal areas due to the unique geologic features of the coasts. Tsunamis, with their potentially devastating floods, are uniquely coastal events resulting from offshore earthquakes or volcanic activity. In addition to these special hazards, many coastal locations are subjected to the more widespread hazards that can have an impact on inland areas, such as riverine flooding, landslides, wildfires and tornadoes."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
1998-07
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Reducing the Impacts of Coastal Hazards
"One of the explanations often provided for the significant increase in the amount of disaster damages is the population increase in hazard-prone locations, including coastal areas. Every year, more and more Americans are at risk from a variety of natural hazards that affect the coastal environment. In the past 30 years, there has been such explosive growth along the nation's coastal margins that today more than 50% of U.S. citizens live in the coastal zone. Many of these citizens build their homes, businesses, schools and hospitals in locations that are particularly vulnerable to catastrophic and chronic coastal hazards, such as hurricanes, severe storms, coastal erosion and tsunamis. National attention on disaster losses intensified with Hurricane Hugo and the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, and the other major catastrophic events that followed in rapid succession, including Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the Midwest floods in 1993 and the Northridge earthquake in 1994. In recent years, several hurricanes, including Opal, Marilyn, Iniki and Fran, have significantly affected the Southeast, Gulf, and Hawaiian and Caribbean coasts, while numerous storms and El Niño-induced events have pounded the West Coast. In addition, higher than average lake levels and coastal storms have resulted in destructive and costly flooding and erosion along the Great Lakes. The size and scope of these large-scale events have had a profound effect on public policy and perceptions concerning hazards and what can, or should, be done to minimize their impacts."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
1998-07
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Development of a Real-time Tsunami Forecasting System
"The NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory National Center for Tsunami Research is developing a tsunami forecasting system known as SIFT (Short-term Inundation Forecasting for Tsunamis) for use in NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers. This system combines state of the art modeling and measuring technology to provide real-time tsunami forecasts. System design employs Java/Jini technology to combine data assimilation and inversion schemes with Fortran-based numerical models. Forecast products include estimates of tsunami amplitudes, flow velocities, and arrival times for offshore, coastal, and inundation areas. These forecast tolls provide Tsunami Warning Centers with practical methods to assess the tsunami hazard and deliver rapid and accurate warning guidance to at-risk communities."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (U.S.)
Venturato, Angie J.; Denbo, D. W.
2006
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Real-Time Deep-Ocean Tsunami Measuring, Monitoring, and Reporting System: The NOAA DART II Description and Disclosure
"This paper describes the system components that make up the second-generation Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis system, known as DART II. The technical level of this document is appropriate for engineers and scientists who are skilled and knowledgeable in the fields of marine systems and ocean instrumentation. The purpose of this paper is to disclose and describe the existing DART II system characteristics in enough detail for others to begin construction of additional deep-ocean tsunami detection and assessment systems, which comprise a critical portion of a tsunami forecast, warning, and mitigation system. Tsunami data from the DART system can be combined with seismic data ingested into a forecast model to generate accurate tsunami forecasts for coastal areas. Neither the forecast modeling technology, nor the infrastructure needed to prepare and distribute warnings is addressed in this document. The motivation for developing a transportable, real-time, deep ocean tsunami measurement system was to forecast the impact of tsunamis on coastal areas in time to save lives and protect property. Over the past 20 years, PMEL [Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory] has identified the requirements of the tsunami measurement system through evolution in both technology and knowledge of deep ocean tsunami dynamics. The requirement for transportability was a conservative approach to a phenomenon that had little data to guide strategies for choosing deployment sites. The requirement for real time was to provide data in time to create a forecast. The first-generation DART design featured an automatic detection and reporting algorithm triggered by a threshold wave-height value."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (U.S.)
Meinig, Christian; Stalin, Scott; Nakamura, Alex I.
2005-06-04
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Scientific and Technical Issues in Tsunami Hazard Assessment of Nuclear Power Plant Sites
"This report provides a review and discussion of existing scientific and technical reports related to tsunami hazard assessment, and organizes the information in the form of a 'Template Tsunami Hazard Assessment (THA).' This provides a general scientific and technical framework that can serve as a starting point for the development of improved and more detailed procedures to guide Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews of applications to build and operate nuclear power plants."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (U.S.)
Bernard, E. N. (Eddie N.)
2007-05
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Development of the Forecast Propagation Database for NOAA's Short-term Inundation Forecast for Tsunamis (SIFT)
"The NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] Center for Tsunami Research (NCTR) is developing an operational tool that provides quick and accurate tsunami forecasts known as Short-term Inundation Forecast for Tsunamis (SIFT). The SIFT system uses Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART™), data inversion techniques, tsunami propagation estimates, and site specific inundation forecasts. SIFT is an efficient and accurate operational tool that can provide offshore forecasts of tsunami time series quickly at any specified site. Providing a quick tsunami forecast is possible with the aid of the forecast propagation database which is set up by pre-computing earthquake events using unit sources along the known and potential earthquake zones in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. Currently 1160 unit sources have been simulated to provide Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian ocean coverage. Tsunami generation and propagation is simulated using the MOST [Method of Splitting Tsunami] propagation code. Exploiting the linearity of the generation/propagation dynamics, the propagation database can simulate arbitrary earthquake scenarios using combination unit sources that can accurately reproduce tsunami time series as validated with ten real tsunami events since 2003."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (U.S.)
Titov, Vasily V.; Gica, Edison; Spillane, Michael C.
2008-03
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Efficacy of DHS Grant Programs
"In FY [Fiscal Year] 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded more than $3 billion to state and local governments; territories; tribal governments; and private, public, profit, and nonprofit organizations through preparedness grants and other financial assistance programs. These grants are intended to enhance preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation capabilities by funding such items as planning, training, exercises, equipment, and interoperable communications. Our objective was to determine whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other components of the Department of Homeland Security have identified and taken steps to mitigate duplication or redundancy within the department's various grant programs. [...] The report contains three recommendations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that, when implemented, should improve both the effectiveness and the efficiency of the agency's preparedness grant programs. In its comments on a draft of this report, the Federal Emergency Management Agency concurred with the recommendations and outlined plans and actions to improve the efficacy of these grant programs. We addressed technical comments the agency provided in its comments on the report, as appropriate. A copy of the comments in their entirety is in Appendix B."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2010-03
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NOAA's Tsunami Program 2008-2017: Strategic Plan
"Tsunamis are high impact, low frequency natural hazards. It is not a question of if, but when tsunamis of high impact will occur, causing considerable numbers of fatalities , inflicting major damage to infrastructure', and resulting in significant social upheaval, economic disruption, and environmental degradation to large sections of the United States' coastline. Since 1900, over 200 tsunami events (mostly earthquake-generated) have affected the coasts of the United States and its territories, causing more than 500 deaths. Economic disruption as a result of a major tsunami damaging the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, is estimated at $1 Billion each day the ports are closed [...] The 53 percent of the US population living in coastal communities in 2003 [...] and at risk from the impacts of a destructive tsunami has grown by 7 million today and is expected to grow by 12 million by 2015. It is estimated that our Nation's coastal communities contribute 60 percent of our Nation's Gross Domestic Product As. the trend continues for coastal economic growth and population density increases, the risk of death and economic damage will climb In addition, a major ocean-wide tsunami will affect many nations and can have global impact The Tsunami Warning and Education Act [...] specifies the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the lead agency responsible for operating the U.S. Tsunami Warning System and for providing technical assistance and training to the Global Tsunami Warning System."
United States. Department of Commerce; United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Bernard, E. N. (Eddie N.); McCreery, Charles S.; McLean, Susan, 1958-
2008-07
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Background Tides and Sea Level Variations at Seaside, Oregon
"The purpose of this technical memorandum is to provide a summary of the tides and other sea level variations at Seaside, Oregon, the site for the FEMA FIRM Tsunami Pilot Study. Because the tidal range is so large along the U.S. West Coast, the tides and other sea level variations have a significant effect on tsunami runup heights and inundation. For this reason, Houston and Garcia (1978) used predicted tides when computing the 100- and 500- year tsunami runup heights for the previous tsunami Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). [...].This technical memorandum is organized into examples of tidal time series to give a general characterization of the tides in the region (this section), tidal datums to provide information to develop digital elevation models and compare with tsunami amplitudes (Section 2), tidal harmonic constants that can be used for tidal prediction (Section 3), probability distributions including the average time the water level is at or above various heights (Section 4), interseismic sea level trends (Section 5), next steps to include background water levels in the estimation of 100- and 500-yr tsunami heights at Seaside area (Section 6), and conclusions on estimates of tides and other background water levels at Seaside (Section 7)."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (U.S.)
Venturato, Angie J.; Mofjeld, Harold O.; Gonzalez, Frank I.
2004-09
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Tsunami Hazard Assessment in Oregon
"Tsunami hazard assessment in Oregon has proceeded by first completing a detailed inundation simulation of the Siletz Bay area where various model parameters were tested against estimates of inundation and run-up from prehistoric tsunami deposits. Reconnaissance-level inundation maps for the entire coastline were then produced to implement Senate Bill 379, which limits construction of critical and essential facilities in tsunami inundation zones. Detailed simulation based on three standardized Cascadia subduction zone earthquake sources have since been completed a Astoria, Warrenton, Gearhart, Seaside, Newport, Coos Bay, and Gold Beach. If funding is available, detailed inundation mapping will be accomplished for (in priority order, highest to lowest): (1) Alsea Bay (Waldport); (2) Rockaway Beach; (3) Sisuslaw estuary (Florence); (4) Nestucca Bay (Pacific City); (5) Coquille estuary (Bandon); and (6) Umpqua estuary (Winchester Bay- Reed sport). Each mapping project is done in close collaboration with the affected local governments. Maps of worst-case inundation are being completed for production of evacuation brochures in most communities, whether detailed inundation maps are available or not. The design and degree of conservatism employed in these evacuation maps is, again, worked out in close collaboration with local governments."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Priest, George R.; Baptista, Antonio M.; Myers, Edward P.
2001-08-07
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U.S. Geological Survey's Alert Notification System for Volcanic Activity
"Under the Stafford Act (Public Law 93-288), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has the Federal responsibility to issue timely and effective warnings of potential volcanic disasters. The USGS, through its five volcano observatories, determines the alert levels for a given volcano and notifies the appropriate Federal and State (and in some cases local) emergency management agencies of notable unrest and eruptive activity. Those agencies then start a process of disseminating information outward to other government and public organizations. Information is communicated to the public primarily through local and national news outlets and the Internet. The USGS has now standardized the alert-notification system used at its volcano observatories. The goals of this alert-notification system are to (1) communicate a volcano's status clearly to nonvolcanologists, (2) help emergency-response organizations determine proper mitigation measures, and (3) prompt people and businesses at risk to seek additional information and take appropriate actions. A key benefit of a standardized, nationwide alert system […] is that it minimizes confusion for those needing information about current threats from volcanic activity."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2006
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Alaska Volcano Observatory- Expanded Monitoring of Volcanoes Yields Results
"Recent explosive eruptions at some of Alaska's 52 historically active volcanoes have significantly affected air traffic over the North Pacific, as well as Alaska's oil, power, and fishing industries and local communities. Since its founding in the late 1980s, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has installed new monitoring networks and used satellite data to track activity at Alaska's volcanoes, providing timely warnings and monitoring of frequent eruptions to the aviation industry and the general public. To minimize impacts from future eruptions, scientists at AVO continue to assess volcano hazards and to expand monitoring networks."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2009
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National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS)
"The National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) is a proposed national-scale effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Hazards Program and its affiliated partners in the Consortium of U.S. Volcano Observatories (CUSVO) (http://www.cusvo.org) to ensure that vol¬canoes are monitored at a level commensurate with the threats they pose. Roughly half of the Nation's 169 young volcanoes are dangerous because of the manner in which they erupt and the communities and infrastructure within their destructive reach. Most U.S. volcanoes are located on sparsely populated Federal lands, but it is the threat to communities and infrastructure downstream and downwind, including to military and commercial aviation, that drives the need to properly monitor volcanic activity and provide forecasts and notifications of expected hazards. Waiting until unrest escalates at a volcano then reacting to improve sparse monitoring arrays results in the loss of precious time and data as scientists, civil authorities, citizens, and businesses play 'catch up' with a dangerous force of nature. NVEWS is a proposal to address monitoring needs at potentially dangerous volcanoes that have inadequate ground-based monitoring or none at all and to move beyond a reactive approach to mitigating volcanic risk. The most hazardous volcanoes would be properly monitored well in advance of the onset of activity, making it possible for scientists to improve the timeliness and accuracy of hazard forecasts and for citizens to take proper and timely action to reduce risk."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2006-12
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Alaska Science Center: Providing Timely, Relevant, and Impartial Study of the Landscape, Natural Resources, and Natural Hazards for Alaska and Our Nation
"The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, has studied the natural features of Alaska since its earliest geologic expeditions in the 1800s. The USGS Alaska Science Center (ASC), with headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, studies the complex natural science phenomena of Alaska to provide scientific products and results to a wide variety of partners. The complexity of Alaska's unique landscapes and ecosystems requires USGS expertise from many science disciplines to conduct thorough, integrated research. In Alaska each year, natural hazards may cause deaths and can cost millions of dollars due to the disruption of commerce, and the destruction of critical infrastructure. The USGS ASC science helps forecast and mitigate disasters and build resilient communities through cutting edge science, research, and monitoring tools and techniques pioneered here for Alaska's diverse and challenging landscape. Monitoring programs that address natural and emerging hazards include: 1. Monitoring volcanoes through the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a cooperative program of the USGS, University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. 2. Operating a streamflow monitoring network for flood warning and mitigation. 3. Tracking emerging wildlife diseases, such as Avian Influenza (Highly Pathogenic H5N1) in migratory birds."
United States. Department of the Interior; Geological Survey (U.S.)
2007-03
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Inundation Maps for the State of California
"More than 20 tsunamis of different heights have impacted t he State of California in the past two centuries . While some earlier 19th century reports are subject to interpretation. there is little question that offshore seismic sources exist and could trigger tsunamis directly or through coseismically generated submarine landslides or slumps. Given the intense coastal land use and recreational activities along the coast, even a small hazard may pose high risk. California presents nontrivial challenges for assessing tsunami hazards, including a short historic record and the possibility of nearshore events with less than 20 min propagation times to the target coastlines. Here we present a brief history of earlier efforts to assess tsunami hazards in the state, and our methodology for developing the first generation inundation maps. Our results are based on worst case scenario events and suggest inundation heights up to 13 m. These maps are only to be used for emergency preparedness and evacuation planning."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Eisner, Richard K.; Borrero, Jose C.; Synolakis, Costas
2001-08-07
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CREST Project: Consolidated Reporting of Earthquakes and Tsunamis
"In 1997 the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and the five western states joined in a partnership to enhance t he quality and quantity of seismic data provided to the NOAA tsunami warning centers in Alaska and Hawaii. The project, named t he Consolidated Reporting of Earthquakes and Tsunamis (CREST), now provides the warning centers with real-time seismic data over dedicated communication links and the Internet from regional seismic networks monitoring earthquakes in the five western states, the U.S. National Seismic Network in Colorado) and from domestic and global seismic stations operated by other agencies. The goal of t he project is to reduce the time needed to issue a tsunami warning by providing the warning centers with high-dynamic range, broadband waveforms in near real-time. An additional goal is to reduce the likelihood of issuing false tsunami warnings by rapidly providing to the warning centers parametric information on earthquakes that could indicate their tsunamigenic potential, such as hypocenters, magnitudes) moment tensors, and shake distribution maps. At the end of the 5-year project new or upgraded field instrumentation will be installed at about 56 seismic stations in the five western states. Data from these instruments has been integrated into t he CREST network utilizing Earthworm software. The CREST system has significantly reduced the time needed to respond to teleseismic earthquakes. Notably, the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center responded to the 28 February 2001 Mw 6.8 Nisqually earthquake beneath Olympia ) Washington within 2 min) compared to an average response time of over 10 min for the previous 18 years."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Oppenheimer, D.; Bittenbinder, Alex; Bogaert, Barbara
2001-08-07
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Early Detection and Real-Time Reporting of Deep-Ocean Tsunamis
"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) Project is an effort of the U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP ) to develop an early tsunami detection and real-time reporting capability. Although seismic networks and coastal tide gauges are indispensable for assessing the hazard during an actual event, an improvement in the speed and accuracy of real-time forecasts of tsunami inundation for specific sites requires direct tsunami measurement between the source and a threatened community. Currently, only a network of real-time reporting, deep-ocean bottom pressure (BPR) stations can provide this capability. Numerous NOAA deployments of ever-improving prototype systems have culminated in the current operating network of DART stations in the North Pacific. DART data can be viewed online at http://tsunami.pmel.noaa. gov/dartqc/ WaveWatcher. Network coverage is presently limited to known tsunamigenic zones that threaten U.S. coastal communities. Because tsunamis can be highly directional, DART stations must be properly spaced to provide reliable estimates of the primary direction and magnitude of t he energy propagation. A method for detector siting will be presented that considers various tradeoffs between early tsunami detection, adequate source zone coverage, and DART system survivability. A proposed network will be presented that is designed to provide adequate coverage of tsunamis originating in source regions that threaten U.S. coastal communities: the Alaska Aleutian Subduction Zone, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and the South American Seismic Zone."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Gonzalez, Frank I.; Bernard, E. N. (Eddie N.); Meinig, Christian
2001-08-07
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U.S. West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
"The U.S. West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WC/ATWC) was established in Palmer, Alaska in 1967 as a direct result of the great Alaskan earthquake that occurred in Prince William Sound on 27 March 1964. This earthquake alerted State and Federal officials to the need for a facility to provide timely and effective tsunami warnings and information for the coastal areas of Alaska. In 1982 the WC/ ATWC's area of responsibility (AOR) was enlarged to include the issuing of tsunami warnings to California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, for potential tsunamigeuic Earthquakes occurring in their coastal areas. In 1996 the responsibility was again expanded to include all Pacific-wide tsunamigenic sources which could affect the California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska coasts."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Sokolowski, Thomas J.
2001-08-07
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TsuInfo, a Tsunami Information Component of the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program
"The TsuInfo Program was established in 1998 as an information delivery component of the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. T he program's primary functions are to gather materials about tsunami hazard mitigation, to provide that information to local emergency managers and government officials in the at-risk coastal communities in the five Pacific states, and to promote communication within that hazard mitigation community. The Program is based at the Washington State Geological Survey library in Olympia, Washington. There, we have been rapidly acquiring books, articles, maps, videos, and other materials about tsunami mitigation and disaster management to support this program. The program's primary community tool is the newsletter, TsuInfo Alert, now issued bimonthly and available on Internet (http://www.wa.gov/dnr/htdocs/ger/tsindex.html). It includes news about Mitigation programs and events in the five Pacific States, original and reprinted articles about and tsunami hazard mitigation, and various program announcements. The TsuInfo Program has been successful and continues to grow. The newsletter is now sent, in print and (or) electronically, to over 300 sites in the five states and to their congressional delegations. We Continue to provide research and mitigation materials- including articles, videos, displays, and reprints to the local communities and program participants. Overall, this program continues to be a voice and a focus for tsunami hazard mitigation information in the Pacific states."
United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Manson, Connie; Walkling, Lee
2001-08-07
