Initial phase of Tsunami Warning System soon

The initial phase of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System will be launched during the June 21-30 session of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Assembly in Paris.

The assembly-- the IOC decision-making body-- meets every two years and comprises 131 member States. During the meeting, it is scheduled to approve a plan of action for the Indian Ocean tsunami warning system and establish an Intergovernmental Coordination Group to govern it, according to a UNESCO press release in Washington.

The ICG will include representatives from the 27 Indian Ocean countries and be supported by a secretariat provided by UNESCO-IOC. The ICG will hold its first meeting shortly after the IOC assembly.

Since the December 26, 2004 tsunami, the IOC and its partners have set up an interim system for the Indian Ocean basin, with tsunami advisory information provided by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii and the Japanese Meteorological Agency.

The permanent system, in development, is expected to be operational by July 2006. It will consist of enhanced seismographic networks in the region, networks of real-time sea-level gauges and deep-sea ocean pressure sensors.

In a fast-track effort to detect a tsunami after a strong earthquake, the IOC has overseen installation and upgrading of tide gauges. The equipment records information about climate and sea-level change and is transmitting data at 10-minute intervals that could help detect a tsunami.