Earthquake magnitude 8,8, what happened 29 July near the coast of Kamchatka, caused a tsunami wave, that spread through the Pacific Ocean. The event was recorded by the NASA Guardian experimental system (GNSS Upper Atmospheric Real-time Disaster Information and Alert Network), which tracks the signs of a tsunami in real time through satellite signals.
The technology works by observing changes in the ionosphere. When an ocean wave moves, it creates atmospheric disturbances, which rise to a height above 300 km. There they affect the signals of global navigation satellite systems, In particular, GPS. GUARDIAN is able to detect these distortions already through 10 minutes after receiving the data, providing a critical time reserve for warning the population.
During the July event, the system registered a disturbance due to 20 minutes after the earthquake and confirmed the approach of the waves 30-40 minutes before their arrival on Hawaii and other Pacific coasts. Although this time the waves did not cause serious destruction, the event was a key confirmation of that, that satellite tracking can become one of the fastest and most accurate tools in the global warning system.
Why is it important
- Tsunamis often reach the coast in an hour or less, and even a few extra minutes can save thousands of lives.
- GUARDIAN complements traditional methods (buoys and seismometers), which have limited coverage and may give delayed signals.
- The technology paves the way for a global satellite monitoring network, which will be able to promptly warn about natural disasters even in remote regions.
The system demonstrated its effectiveness already a day after the critical software update, having proved, that satellite monitoring can become a key element of the future coastal security infrastructure on a global scale.
Source: https://www.space.com