Wave Reporting Procedures for Tide Observers in the Tsunami Warning System.

Abstract

The purpose of this publication is to provide general information and specific instructions to aid tide observers in reporting tsunamis. The Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific is an international system which makes use of more than 67 seismic stations, 67 tide stations and 51 dissemination points scattered throughout the Pacific basin. These facilities are under the varying control of the many Member States of IOC, with general guidance provided by the IOC through its International Co-ordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (ICG-ITSU) and the International Tsunami Information Centre. Information from the network of stations is transmitted to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre where it is analysed and relayed as tsunami watches and warnings to civil defense organizations, meteorological and other local governmental offices that have been designated to receive the information by the participating countries, territories, and administrative areas throughout the Pacific. Effectiveness of the system results in a large measure from the prompt and accurate reports of the observers who staff the tide and seismic stations of the network.