Download 23-11-2005 10:30 am have laid the foundations for

Mediterranean’s tsunami warning system and Arabian Gulf’s earthquake monitoring
installation launched
Wagdy Sawahel
Date: 23 December 2005
Source: IDB Science Development Network (www.sciencedev.net)
Worldwide, concern about natural disasters, and earthquakes in particular, has risen
since the December 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
A regional tsunami early warning system (TWA) for the Mediterranean and Northeast
Atlantic to be initially operational by 2007 was launched at the first session of the
intergovernmental coordinating group (ICG) that held in Rome, Italy in the period from
21-22 November.
During the meeting that was attended by experts and delegations from 23 countries of
the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic including Egypt, Morocco and Algeria, a
plan of action for 2006-2007 was adopted that focus on enhancing capabilities for
multiple hazard and risk assessment; improving warning efficiency based on
seisomological, geophysical and sea-level information; increasing mitigation ability
through coastal planning and raising public awareness of coastal hazards.
Speaking to IDB Science Development Network, Ulrich Wolf , Programme Specialist at
ICG of UNESCO, said that the planned TWS is an end-to-end system, which essentially
means that it will provide the necessary instrumentation to detect seismic activity as well
as sea level changes and send the data to regional warning centres in real time
ICG will oversee the implementation and supervise the operations of the warning
system, which is part of a global tsunami warning, and mitigation system being
coordinated by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
“There is no question that a warning system in the Mediterranean is required to assure
an early response to a tsunami that would badly affect the shoreline settlements and
inland areas around the Mediterranean Sea.“ Farouk El-Baz, professor of geology and
director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University in Massachusetts, United
States, said to IDB Science Development Network.
According to El-Baz, this region is seismically active due to the fact that continental
plate of Africa is diving under the crustal plate that carries Europe. In addition, the
north-eastward movement of the Arabian Peninsula causes additional pressures in the
east and northeast segments of the Mediterranean Sea basin. All such tectonic
movements suggest a need for the early warning system for better preparation in the
future.
El-Baz said that the region has experienced devastation tsunamis in the past. For
example, the eruption of the Greek island of Thera (Sanrorini), is placed in 1628 BC.
This eruption caused an enormous tsunami wave that resulted in the reshaping of the
northern coastline of Egypt and the deposition of layers of ash along and near the
coastlines of Libya, Egypt (including Sinai) and Palestine.
”The early warning system would be enhanced if the seismicity monitoring stations
throughout the region are better connected.” El-Baz stressed.
Arab Gulf countries..
On 29 November, the University of Sharjah at United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed
an agreement with the Geophysics Institute of the US-based University of California for
the construction of a US $150,000 advanced earthquake monitoring installation in
Sharjah located close to Wadi Al Hamoud. It will monitor earthquake and seismic
activity in the region and organise training programmes as well as promote cooperation
in field.
It will be part of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Global
Seismographic Network (GSN), which includes 137 stations that cover 45 countries.
This took place after two days of the tremors that were felt in many areas of the UAE,
particularly in the Northern emirates. This was a result of an earthquake that measured
a magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter Scale ant its epicentre was the Iranian city of Bandar
Abbas.
El-Baz said that the Gulf is reasonably stable, with no major active faults, and that its
narrowness and shallowness mean a tsunami is unlikely to occur within it. However, the
southern boundary of the Arabian subplate of the Earth's crust is bordered by a major
fault in the Indian Ocean. El-Baz said it is conceivable that further movements along
this might trigger earthquakes.
During the December 2004 tsunami, the coasts of Oman and Yemen witnessed
increasingly high waves, which endangered coastal areas, ports and vessels. This
prompted Oman to start planning for an early warning system to protect its coasts.