The ATWS will play a major role in the operation of an international tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean. The system will also serve to warn Australians of tsunamis that may impact our coasts, both east and west, as well as provide leadership for regional tsunami warning in the southwest Pacific.
Geoscience Australia’s main role will be to provide a monitoring and analysis capability that can rapidly detect earthquakes in the region with the potential to generate tsunamis (‘tsunamigenic’ earthquakes). When such an event occurs, Geoscience Australia will work with the Bureau of Meteorology to verify that a tsunami has been generated and assess what impact it might have. The Bureau of Meteorology already has in place much of the infrastructure for broadcasting the warnings and so ATWS will make use of this existing infrastructure.
The operations centre responsible for analysing this data at Geoscience Australia will require a sophisticated and robust information technology and communications infrastructure, and will be staffed round the clock. Establishing such a facility is a fundamental change in course for Geoscience Australia, and will require some changes from the way Geoscience Australia has operated in the past. Close coordination of our activities with the Bureau of Meteorology and liaison with other tsunami warning systems in the region will be critical to the success of ATWS.
The ATWS will play a major role in the operation of an international tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean. The system will also serve to warn Australians of tsunamis that may impact our coasts, both east and west, as well as provide leadership for regional tsunami warning in the southwest Pacific.
