Description
The Tsunami Detection System can be deployed on the seabed in the deep ocean from where it will monitor the pressure of the water above it. A tsunami wave in deep water creates a small but measurable change in pressure that will be maintained for as long as twenty minutes. By monitoring any such changes, the subsea detector will trigger an alarm that sends an acoustic warning message to a buoy-mounted transceiver on the surface. The transceiver, in turn, relays the message via a satellite data link to a control centre.

Sonardyne’s tsunami system is based on the company’s successful Compatt 5 seabed acoustic transponder. It uses the latest Wideband™ digital acoustic technology to provide robust through water communications in difficult acoustic conditions.

The Compatt 5 may be deployed in water up to 7,000 metres and it is fitted with a sensor that continuously monitors water pressure, saving data every fifteen minutes. Because a reliable early warning of a tsunami can only be obtained close to the sea floor, the Compatt provides the essential means of sending these readings up to the surface.