From Seismic Monitoring to Tsunami Warning in the Mediterranean Sea

The Italian Tsunami Alert Center based at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (CAT-INGV) has been monitoring the Mediterranean seismicity in the past 8 yr to get fast and reliable information for seismically induced tsunami warnings. CAT-INGV is a tsunami service provider in charge of monitoring the seismicity of the Mediterranean Sea and of alerting Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)/UNESCO subscriber Member States and the Italian Department of Civil Protection of a potentially impending tsunami, in the framework of the Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System in the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAMTWS). CAT-INGV started operating in 2013 and became operational in October 2016. Here, after describing the NEAMTWS in the framework of the global effort coordinated by IOC/UNESCO, we focus on the tsunami hazard in the Mediterranean Sea. We then describe CAT-INGV mandate, functioning, and operational procedures. Furthermore, the article discusses the lessons learned from past events occurring in the Mediterranean Sea, such as the Kos-Bodrum in 2017 (Mw 6.6) and the Samos-Izmir in 2020 (Mw 7.0) earthquakes, which generated moderately damaging tsunamis. Based on these lessons, we discuss some potential improvements for the CAT-INGV and the NEAMTWS, including better seismic and sea level instrumental coverage. We emphasize the need for tsunami risk awareness raising, better preparation, and full implementation of the tsunami warning “last-mile” to foster the creation of a more integrated, interoperable, and sustainable risk reduction framework. If we aim to be better prepared for the next tsunami, these important challenges should be prioritized in the agenda of the IOC/UNESCO Member States and the European Commission.

Communicating in the aftermath of an earthquake: when Twitter proves to be a trustworthy and empathetic information channel.

<p>Twitter has proved to be a powerful tool for the dissemination of scientific information in the aftermath of a seismic event. During an earthquake crisis, the affected population is in need of rapid, reliable information on what has just happened and what to do next to stay safe. However, it is not rare that reliable earthquake information takes a few minutes to be accessible and shared with the population. This shortcoming can have harmful impact: every time there is a lack of information, rumors fill the void and misinformation spreads. To make matters worse, scientific communication is often jargon-laden and hence perceived as overly technical, inappropriate, and unfeeling. Effective earthquake communication must therefore be:</p><ul><li>rapid and clear, to prevent fake news from spreading;</li> <li>transparent, by acknowledging uncertainty if reliable information is not available yet;</li> <li>empathetic and compassionate, to decrease anxiety and promote a sense of calming.</li> </ul><p>In this light, we discuss the communication strategy of @LastQuake, the official Twitter channel (160k followers) of the Euro-Med Seismological Centre. When an earthquake strikes and is felt by the population, real-time information on the seismic event begins to be automatically published via a twitter-robot. These automatic tweets range from easily-accessible scientific information about the earthquake location and magnitude, to the shaking felt by the earthquake eyewitnesses, to the safety guidelines and –where applicable– to tsunami warnings. Our automatic tweets have little or no technical jargon. The Information is primarily accessed by users who are in the midst of responding and possibly traumatized. Hence our words, tone, and images have been carefully chosen to provide competent and appropriate communication. Meanwhile, when necessary, further tweets may be manually published to counter the onset of specific false claims and theories, or to address cultural and situational specific needs.  </p><p>Our discussion will outline the current @lastquake twitter-bot environment and discuss evidence-based best practices for using Twitter for earthquake crisis communication to avoid misinformation and promote self and community efficacy.</p>

Documentary Film ‘Survivor’ Preserved as a Disaster Record

The Aceh Province, located in the northern island of Sumatera, Indonesia, is highly vulnerable to disasters. The experience of being struck by the devastating earthquake and tsunami on December 26, 2004 has not been communicated to the young generation of Acehnese. Hence, they need to be informed of the real and serious threats of occurrence of certain disasters. By understanding this information, the impacts of future disasters could be reduced. Preserving the live narrative of the tsunami survivors in the form of a documentary film is one of the ways of ensuring disaster preparedness, which would also be easy for the millennial generation to comprehend. The objective of this paper is to describe how oral narration was combined with visual art to create a documentary film. By capturing the life stories of tsunami survivors, it may serve as an example of community-based risk preparation through the dissemination of tsunami warnings and evacuation messages.

AUSTRALIA-JAPAN QZSS EMERGENCY WARNING SERVICE TRIAL PROJECT

This paper provides an overview and the results of the Australia-Japan 2020 Quasi Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) Emergency Warning System trial project. The project aimed to evaluate and demonstrate the feasibility of utilising the QZSS system to support emergency warning and response in Australia. The trial has focussed on bushfire and tsunami warnings with an emphasis on the message structure and standards for incorporation on the available signal bandwidth, and the spatial coverage extent of the messages. It also aimed to address the need for a space-based communication capability in Australia, which could potentially facilitate effective emergency warning system unconstrained by the limitations of terrestrial telecommunications.A newly dedicated MobileApp was developed to decode the warning message and visualise relevant information on a map. Two messages for bushfire and tsunami warnings were generated in Australia and sent to the QZSS ground station for satellite transmission. The developed application was tested in Victoria and New South Wales. The trial was successful in the sense that the emergency warning message could be received and decoded using the QZSS enabled receivers and the dedicated MobileApp. The field tests showed that the systems are capable of delivering the required information to users with the required timeliness and completeness. Several technical issues encountered during testing can be primarily attributed to the alpha state of the app, and the specific receiver used for testing. Neither of which are considered to be significant barriers to the on-going development of an operational satellite EWS system.

CTBT IMS - International Cooperation at its finest

<p>The International Monitoring System (IMS) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is one of the most ambitious global projects ever undertaken by more than 183 states. It’s establishment exemplifies international cooperation through the huge undertaking, coordination and massive investment by all Member States. The IMS monitors the whole earth, atmosphere and undersea for any potential nuclear test but this extraordinary network can also detect and record traces of natural and anthrogenic disasters that are ever present.</p><p>The IMS network sets a precedent for reliability, quality and requirements on a global scale. The network is comprised of 4 technologies (seismic, infrasound, hydroacoustic and radionuclide) that monitor the earth’s environments to an incredibly low level and hence is an invaluable resource for monitoring and understanding natural hazards.To date, for example, the CTBTO has signed 14 agreements with tsunami warning organizations for the usage of CTBT data to assist with the timeliness and accuracy of tsunami warnings.</p><p>The effectiveness of plans to deal with natural disasters depends on a country’s level of resources and readiness. Member States can rely and call upon the CTBTO and the IMS network to assist them at a time of crisis. The IMS is truly a global network that has no borders.</p>

The 22 December 2018 tsunami from flank collapse of Anak Krakatau volcano during eruption

On 22 December 2018, a devastating tsunami struck Sunda Strait, Indonesia without warning, leaving 437 dead and thousands injured along the western Java and southern Sumatra coastlines. Synthetic aperture radar and broadband seismic observations demonstrate that a small, <~0.2 km3 landslide on the southwestern flank of the actively erupting volcano Anak Krakatau generated the tsunami. The landslide did not produce strong short-period seismic waves; thus, precursory ground shaking did not provide a tsunami warning. The source of long-period ground motions during the landslide can be represented as a 12° upward-dipping single-force directed northeastward, with peak magnitude of ~6.1 × 1011 N and quasi-sinusoidal time duration of ~70 s. Rapid quantification of a landslide source process by long-period seismic wave inversions for moment-tensor and single-force parameterizations using regional seismic data available within ~8 min can provide a basis for future fast tsunami warnings, as is also the case for tsunami earthquakes.

Development of GNSS Buoy for a Synthetic Geohazard Monitoring System

The GNSS buoy system for early tsunami warnings has been under development for about 20 years. A small prototype buoy was first deployed in Sagami Bay, Japan, in 1997. Then, after a series of experiments aiming for operational use, the system was implemented as a part of national wave monitoring system NOWPHAS. The NOWPHAS system had set up more than 10 GNSS buoys around Japan by 2011, and it recorded the tsunami caused by the 11 March 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake. The records were used to update the tsunami warning at the time of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake. However, the buoys were placed less than 20 km from the coast, as the system used the baseline mode RTK-GPS algorithm, which was not far enough for effective evacuation of people. Thus, we began trying to improve the system by putting the buoys much farther from the coast. The new system employs a newly developed positioning algorithm, Precise Point Positioning with Ambiguity Resolution (PPP-AR), together with satellite data transmission. A series of experiments involving the new system successfully indicated changes in sea level with an accuracy of a few centimeters. Given the success of the experiments, we are trying to use the GNSS buoys not only to provide early tsunami warnings but also to monitor various other geohazards. For example, we are trying to use the GNSS-Acoustic system to continuously monitor crustal movements on the ocean floor, to monitor the ionosphere, and to monitor the atmosphere. Ancillary sensors on the buoys will be utilized for oceanographic monitoring as well.

Designing Effective Tsunami Messages: Examining the Role of Short Messages and Fear in Warning Response

Although tsunamis have the potential to be extremely destructive, relatively little research on tsunami messaging has taken place. Discovering whether tsunami warning messages can be written in a way that leads to increased protective response is crucial, particularly given the increased use of mobile message services and the role they play in notifying the public of imminent threats such as tsunami and other hazards. The purpose of this study was to examine the possibility of designing warning messages for tsunamis that improve upon message style and content used by public alerting agencies to date and to gain insight that can be applied to other hazards. This study tested the impact of tsunami messages that varied in length and content on six message outcomes—understanding, believing, personalizing, deciding, milling, and fear. Relative to the short message, revised messages resulted in significantly more understanding and deciding, known precursors to taking protective action under threat. The revised message also resulted in significantly more fear, which is believed to influence behavioral intentions. Findings suggest that shorter messages may not deliver enough content to inform message receivers about the threat they face and the protective actions they should perform. Longer messages delivered with more specific information about the location of impact, threat-associated risks, and recommended protective actions were associated with better message outcomes, including quicker intended response. Recommendations for future tsunami warnings are provided.

KONSEP PENGEMBANGAN KOTA BANDA ACEH SEBAGAI KOTA WISATA TSUNAMI

ABSTRACT: The city of Banda Aceh has experienced several tsunamis that destroy civilization on it. Currently every year tsunami warnings are conducted both national and international scale, both academic and tourism purposes. The warning brings many people who need information about the existence of the city of Banda Aceh from previous times. Therefore it is necessary to extract and study the important objects that describe the past civilization of the city of Banda Aceh, to be realized as part of the space elements of today's city of Banda Aceh. The study was conducted on several important objects from the XVII century on the coast that gave the image of the city of Banda Aceh as a cosmopolitan city and a maritime city. Approach the study by revealing the architectural aspect of the object and the proposed zoning pattern in each object. The results of the discussion appear to present historical stories through replicas of objects and graves that have a place to contemplate as a support facility. The conclusion of the paper provides a theoretical framework on tsunami impact tourism development in the city of Banda Aceh. This paper is considered important as one way of strengthening the self of the Indonesian nation about the disclosure of glory and identity of the past, useful for building the character of the nation. Besides, it is also to open the insight for the government and city development actors in preparing the city of Banda Aceh as a tourist city of the tsunami. Keywords: Banda Aceh City, Tsunami Tourism, Architectural Design ABSTRAK: Kota Banda Aceh telah mengalami beberapa kali tsunami yang merusak peradaban di atasnya. Saat ini setiap tahun dilaksanakan peringatan tsunami baik skala nasional maupun international, baik tujuan akademik maupun pariwisata. Peringatan tersebut menghadirkan banyak orang yang membutuhkan informasi tentang keberadaan kota Banda Aceh dari masa-masa sebelumnya. Oleh karena itu diperlukan penggalian dan kajian objek penting yang menggambarkan peradaban masa lalu kota Banda Aceh, untuk diwujudkan sebagai bagian elemen ruang kota Banda Aceh masa kini. Kajian dilakukan pada beberapa objek penting mulai dari abad XVII di bagian pesisir yang memberi citra kota Banda Aceh sebagai kota kosmopolitan dan Kota maritim. Pendekatan kajian dengan mengungkapkan aspek arsitektural objek dan usulan pola penataan zona di setiap objek. Hasil pembahasan tampak bahwa menghadirkan cerita sejarah melalui replika objek dan kuburan yang dilengkapi tempat untuk berkontempelasi sebagai fasilitas pendukung. Kesimpulan tulisan memberikan kerangka teoritik tentang pengembangan objek wisata dampak tsunami di kota Banda Aceh. Tulisan ini dirasa penting sebagai salah satu cara penguat jadi diri bangsa Indonesia tentang pengungkapan kejayaan dan identitas masa lalu, berguna bagi membangun karakter bangsa. Disamping itu juga untuk membuka wawasan bagi pemerintah dan pelaku pembangunan kota dalam menyiapkan kota Banda Aceh sebagai kota wisata tsunami.