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CX2SA > TECH 17.11.05 01:45l 74 Lines 3143 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 61087_CX2SA
Read: GUEST DL1LCA OE7FMI
Subj: Tsunami warning system under..
Path: DB0FHN<DB0MRW<DB0WUE<DK0WUE<7M3TJZ<JE7YGF<CT2GWY<W4JAX<CX2SA
Sent: 051117/0041Z @:CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA #:61087 [Minas] FBB7.00e $:61087_CX2SA
From: CX2SA@CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA
To : TECH@WW
Tsunami warning system under way
================================
The first stage in the installation of a tsunami early-warning system has got
under way off the coast of Indonesia.
After eight months of designing, testing and surveying, the first two early
-warning buoys are ready.
In a joint project with the Indonesian government, a German research vessel is
sailing towards the coastal waters of Sumatra where they will be deployed.
Aceh, in the north of Sumatra island, bore the brunt of last December's
devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The buoys are seven metres (22ft) long from the stem, which sits under the
water, to the bright yellow scaffolding which houses the scientific instruments
above the surface.
They will be connected to pressure sensors placed on the sea bed.
If they sense something unusual, the buoys are programmed to beam the
information via satellite to a central station back on the Indonesian mainland.
It is then the responsibility of the scientists to interpret the data and
decide whether to raise the alarm.
'A big step'
------------
But this is new technology and, as one of the Indonesian scientists on the
team, Ridwan Sjamsuddin, explained, everybody will need time to get used to it.
"Indonesian scientists and German scientists are still learning how the buoys
will be operating, actually, but at least this is a big step," he said.
"If the receiving station can receive the data, that's another big step."
It is a gradual process. For the time being tsunami warnings will be sent to
coastal communities by text messages to mobile phones or by e-mail.
A system of sirens, which should reach more people more quickly, is planned for
the future.
On the front line
-----------------
As Reinhold Ollig of Germany's ministry of education and research made clear,
getting the system right here in Indonesia will be crucial.
"This is the most dangerous area for the whole Indian Ocean," he said.
"So this project, what we are doing together with our Indonesian friends, this
has a key role for the safety of lives here in the Indian Ocean area. This is
the front line."
There is almost universal agreement that the Sumatran fault line is still
unstable and therefore another big earthquake is likely.
Nobody knows when, but with luck the next time there should be a better warning
system and that could save thousands of lives.
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