Tsunami Photos

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a system of buoys that are called the Tsunami Real-time Reporting System. There will be six of these tsunami detection systems placed around the Pacific Rim. Four will be located off the coast of Alaska. One is off the coast of Washington State, and one will be put off the coast of South America. The sensing devices on these buoys contain pressure sensors for determining a wave's size by gauging the weight of the water column passing over it. This information is relayed to the surface buoy and then to a satellite by modems. The satellite then beams the information to the two Tsunami Warning Centers in Alaska and Hawaii.

Click on the photos for a larger view.

Photos courtesy of NOAA.