TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM FOR THE CARIBBEAN AND ADJACENT AREAS: ADVANCES IN ESTABLISHING THE SEISMIC MONITORING COMPONENT

Nations bordering the Caribbean seas and adjacent waters have been working since June 2005 to establish a Tsunami Warning System in the region. Under the coordination of the Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission, four workgroups have been set up to advance the action plans of the initiative. Workgroup 2b which is responsible for the delivery of the seismic monitoring component of the system comprises participants from various seismological agencies operating throughout the region as well as larger agencies such the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory. The primary objective of this group is to establish a sustainable and robust seismic network that can rapidly provide accurate detection and characterization of tsunamigenic events that may threaten any part of the region.

To attain this objective, several new high-performance seismic stations have been established throughout the region and several existing ones are being upgraded to meet tsunami monitoring requirements. Attempts are also being made to make use of data from previously existing high quality instrumentation. In April of 2006 a meeting of the regional seismic network operators was convened to discuss data sharing protocols and develop strategies for improving seismological monitoring in the region. Several recommendations were developed and adopted. Some of the actions items identified that meeting have been implemented.