The devastating force of tsunamis has left an indelible mark on countries like Indonesia, Japan, and Chile. These natural phenomena, coming from the ocean, are impressive and extremely dangerous.
However, the POT has undertaken a revolutionary project that uses satellites to capture the sound of the tsunamis from the terrestrial atmosphereproviding a valuable early warning tool.
Known as GUARDIAN (GNSS Network for Real-Time Disaster Information and Warning from the Upper Atmosphere), this network of GPS satellites distributed around the globe makes it possible to detect tsunami formation and provide alerts that can provide up to an hour of time to evacuate the areas of possible impact.
The GUARDIAN system is based on the principle that radio signals travel to hundreds of ground science stations around the world, where they are processed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
These signals are carefully filtered in search of clues that reveal the occurrence of tsunamis anywhere on the planet.
Air vibrations generated by the movement of the Earth on the ocean surface propagate to the atmosphere, generating the powerful characteristic sound of tsunamis.
By interacting with charged particles in the atmosphere, the pressure waves slightly distort the signals emitted by satellites, allowing the detection and issuance of tsunami warnings.
According to Léo Martire, a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, GUARDIAN provides near real-time results that are interpreted by experts in about 10 minutes, generating a kind of “sound image.”
These results allow the authorities and the population to have an hour to spare to take the necessary precautions against the imminent arrival of a tsunami.
Siddharth Krishnamoorthy, a team member at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, highlights the value of GUARDIAN as an ideal complement to existing land-based and ocean-based instruments.
Krishnamoorthy states that “in the near future, GUARDIAN will complement existing seismometers, buoys and tide gauges, which are very effective tools but lack systematic coverage offshore.”
Currently, GUARDIAN focuses on the Pacific Ocean, especially the Ring of Fire, since, according to NASA data, approximately 78% of the more than 750 tsunamis recorded between 1900 and 2015 occurred in this region.
With this innovative sound surveillance system, NASA is marking a milestone in the prevention of natural disasters, providing a valuable opportunity to save lives and reduce the damage caused by devastating tsunamis.
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