GNSS information can serve an important function in contributing to tsunami early warning systems, shaving precious time off tsunami warnings when every second of sophisticated notification can save lives. The NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES) A. 37 task Local Tsunami Early Warning With GNSS Earthquake Source Products, moneyed by the Applied Sciences Disasters program location, is utilizing this GNSS information to discover ground movement and design earthquake activity that might lead to tsunamis. The team is incorporating this data into tsunami early warning systems operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Center for Tsunami Research (CTR).
This looping video reveals a series of GOES-17 satellite images that captured an umbrella cloud produced by the undersea eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano on Jan. 15, 2022. Crescent-shaped bow shock waves and numerous lighting strikes are also visible. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens using GOES images courtesy of NOAA and NESDIS
NASA detected the shockwave from the underwater eruption high up in the atmosphere.
The powerful undersea volcanic eruption that blanketed the island nation of Tonga with ash and sent tsunami waves across the world also caused ripples in Earths ionosphere, according to measurements from the Global Differential Global Positioning System (GDGPS) handled by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano erupted on January 15, 2022, it released a violent explosion with the comparable force of 4 to 18 megatons of TNT, according to quotes from NASA geologist Jim Garvin. This surge produced an acoustic shockwave that was strong enough to irritate the ionosphere, the outer layer of the atmosphere that begins about 50 to 56 miles (80 to 90 kilometers) above Earths surface and contains electrons ionized by the Suns energy.
In the above image, the vertical red line in the information plot suggests the time of the eruption. The horizontal squiggles reveal electron density profiles in time, as tape-recorded in the signals of four GNSS constellations, or groups of satellites: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. The inclined rushed and dotted lines indicate the speed of the waves. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GDGPS
The eruption also triggered a tsunami, which was boosted by the air pressure waves of the surge– a phenomenon known as a meteotsunami. The contortion of the oceans surface from these large waves even more interrupted the ionosphere. The GDGPS observed ionospheric disruptions triggered by the surge and subsequent meteotsunami in real time. The system keeps track of the density of electrons in the ionosphere (measured as total electron content units, or TECU) by tracking the hold-up of international navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals as they travel through the environment.
GNSS information can serve an important role in contributing to tsunami early caution systems, shaving precious time off tsunami warnings when every second of innovative notice can save lives. The NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES) A. 37 job Local Tsunami Early Warning With GNSS Earthquake Source Products, moneyed by the Applied Sciences Disasters program area, is utilizing this GNSS information to discover ground movement and model earthquake activity that might result in tsunamis. The team is incorporating this information into tsunami early caution systems operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Center for Tsunami Research (CTR).
NASAs Space Geodesy Project also supports tsunami risk reduction through partnerships with the International GNSS Service, which manages the GNSS-enhanced Tsunami Early Warning Systems (GTEWS), the International Association of Geodesys Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), and the Group in the world Observations (GEO) Geodesy for the Sendai Framework Community Activity.
In the future, the ionospheric disruption taped by the GDGPS could likewise be incorporated into these tsunami caution systems, increasing their effectiveness to caution communities and get people out of damages method prior to tsunami waves strike.
