Chilean National Tsunami Warning Center

Lieutenant Nicols A. Guzmn Hydrographic Engineer Head of Operative division Hawai, 2011

Agenda
Tectonic framework

The National Tsunami Warning Center

Where is Chilean NTWC going Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) Tsunami forecast Tsunami flood charts Equipment Conclusions Questions and discussion

Tectonic framework
The geological, geographic and morfologic heterogeneity of the chilean coast, makes difficult to use a standard procedure for the tsunami mitigation. Tsunamigenic Zoning:
North of Puerto Montt South of Puerto Montt

Chilean Geology
North of Puerto Montt Survey of the structure of the Subduction Zone Seismicity
Hystorical Tsunamigenic earthquakes Earthquakes of inverse vs normal focal mechanism Instrumentally recorded earthquakes with Mw 6

Subducting Slab
Geometry Age Seismic asperities Seismic Barriers

Termal structure Moreno, Tassara, 2010 2006

Chilean Geology
Seismogenic Zone Tsunamigenic Zone
Inminent zone of occurrence of Tsunami Probable zone of occurrence of Tsunami

NTWS: LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Legal Framework:
NTWS (SNAM) is in operation since 1966, and its organization, direction and control, was assigned to SHOA as the Chilean National Representative to the Pacific Tsunami Warning System PTWS (D.S. N 26, 11-Jan-1966)

Mission:
To inform to the local authorities about the possible tsunami generation and his arrival times to the Chilean coast. To inform to the PTWS about tsunami generation in Chilean coast. Exchange tsunami information with Peru, Ecuador and Colombia..

NTWS ORGANIZATION SNAM is physically in dependences of the Department of Oceanography and is covered 24 hours by personal specialist (Officials, Professionals and Technical personnel)

NTWS ORGANIZATION
Sea Level Network (Tide Gauges)

Seismological Network (National and International)

DART System.

TREMORS System.
Comunications.

IMPROVEMENTS TO NTWS
Two sensors for tides gauges (radar and pressure) Increase of transmission frequency (from 1 hour to 5 minutes). Alternative channels of transmission (satellital and network fixes). New tides gauges station. Satellital equipments for communication ssupport. Second power supply for support the energy in the operations room. Equipment of video confers. New communications Systems: Recording video, telephones, Datamar2 (portable and fixed) and others. New information Room.

Upgrade and increase of stations for the sea level network

SNAM Operations Room

Improvements performed during 2010

SNAM

Update of the DART system. Adquisition a new one.

Increase of the capacity of visit of SNAM web site Update of the Inundations Maps

Hydrographic surveys of the tsunami affected areas. Update of the tsunami inundations maps for the north of Chile. New cartography in GIS environment.

Increase of load capacity . Remote Hosting of the web page.

NTWC ongoing
Chilean Tsunami Council New Tide Station High Frequency Capacity building 2010 Chilean Tsunami Strategic Alliances Strong Communications DART Bouy deployment 2011 Budget definition Japan Tsunami Release of New Inundation Maps DSS project

Procedures review

Proyection 2011-2015.
New multibeam on board of PSH Cabrales. Purchase of more single beams for hydrigraphic field tasks.

New stations. Increase of the trasmition frecuency. Alternative trasmition chanels (satelital and vhf).

More sea level stations, including Antrtica. (2011)

Hydrographic data colection for tsunami flood charts and nautical charts.

Proyection TSUNAMICART plan

Increase of the web services capacities.

Second Tsunami buoy (2011)

Actualization of the tsunami flood charts.

Begining tsunami forecast project.

Detection, warning and disemination

Tide Station (VAISALA MAWS 110) Two channel communication, two sensors Densification of tide gages in Tsunamigenic zones

Chilean Tsunami Council

NTWC
Continious Improvement Enhanced operation

Better Solution

Spread the Knowledge

Sysmologhy Component Modelation PaleoTsunami Geography

Standard Operational Procedures (SOP)

A proposal for Chilean NTWC

Chile NTWC legal frame

NSC (SSN) Detection of tsunamigenic earthquakes. NTWC (SHOA) Issues tsunami warning.

NDMO (ONEMI) Disseminates tsunami warning to the residents. Instructs the evacuation.

NTWC Templates
Information statement National Warning level 1 or yellow Warning / Tsunami threat ( non destructive) National Warning level 2 or red Warning/ Tsunami threat (destructive) Cancellation

Information statement
No threat Standard text, only earthquake parameters. One message only.

National Warning level 1 or yellow warning

Potential threat Wave amplitude >0.5 and < than 3 meters, evacuation only in the places near and on the coast line (beaches, rocks, etc). Standby for evacuation to the safe zone( 30 mts).

Several messages
Must be followed up until cancellation

National Warning level 2 or red warning

Certain Threat Safe evacuation zone (30 mts above the mean sea level) Several messages

Must be followed up until cancellation

Cancellation
No Threat Minimum after twice the tsunami travel time. Be sure that all possible information sources are taken into account and that enough time passed to give the all clear message.

NTWC Flowchart
National seismic sources (SSN/UCHILE) Detection of tsunamigenic earthquakes. Processing information about earthquake location and its magnitude.

NTWC Flowchart
NTWC (SHOA) Calculation of TTT to the AoR Analize and decide wether to give tsunami statment Communicate NDMO Sea level monitoring Re-evaluation of issued warning Cancellation

NTWC Flowchart
NDMO (ONEMI) Dissemination of tsunami statements.

ETA ~ 20 hrs ETA ~ 22 hrs

ETA ~ 17 hrs ETA ~ 12 hrs

ETA ~ 6 hrs

ETA ~4 hrs

ETA ~ 16 hrs

ETA ~ 0.5 hrs

Threshold table
Region
1

Location
Chile & Peru (Local sources).

Parameters
Mw 8.0 & Depth 100 km or PTWC Warning for Chile 7.0 Mw 7.9 & Depth 100 km or PTWC Watch for Chile

Statement
National Warning Tsunami threat level 2 or red warning (Wave amplitude > 3 mts) National Warning Tsunami threat level 1 or yellow warning (Wave amplitude >0.5< 3 mts)

6.0 Mw 6.9 & Depth 100 km

2 Ecuador & Colombia Central America/Mexico Cascadia SW Pacific (Australia & NZ) Japan Kuriles Islands & Kamchatka Aleutian Islands Mw 8.0 & Depth 100 km or PTWC Warning/Watch for Chile

Information Statement National Warning Tsunami threat yellow / red warning.

National Warning Tsunami threat yellow / red warning.

PTWC Warning & Watch for Chile

Provisional Mw, depth and wave hight.

Tsunami Forecasting Project

Forecast point Epicenter Tsunami height 3 m Major tsunami

Tsunami height < 3 m Tsunami

Equipment
DART system Considering different alternatives:
GPS buoys DART

DART (Deep ocean Assessment and reporting of Tsunamis) SYSTEM

Last deployement position DART Chile 12/16/2010:

Lat.: 19 17 13.20S Long: 74 43 51.60"O

DART Buoy deployment by Chilean Navy

DART Buoys future status

Tsunami flood charts

CITSU IQUIQUE Second edition 2011 - Modeling with COMCOT

Tsunami flood charts

CITSU IQUIQUE New product KMZ file

NTWC NEXT PROYECT

I. II. III. IV. System automatization Academic formation Separate tasks, principal purpose Infraestructure

Conclusions
I. Earthquakes and tsunamis are going to continue occuring, tehers notihg we can do about it.

II.

Theres still not exist a method to predict the ocurrence of earthquakes.

III. The modernization of the warning systems requerire complex and expensive studies.

Conclusions
IV. The education of the people is the best mitigation system against this kind of catastrophes.

V.

The occurrence of two tsunamis in two years gave the initial hit to start making important changes.

VI. We have everything to develop a NTWC of excellence, with our own experts and the collaboration from other countries.

THANK YOU