Geoscientists develop technology to improve forecasting of earthquakes, tsunamis

Geoscientists at the University of South Florida have successfully developed and tested a new high-tech shallow water buoy that can detect the small movements and changes in the Earth's seafloor that may be precursors to deadly natural hazards, such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis.

A new high-tech buoy can detect movements in Earth’s seafloor that precede an earthquake or tsunami. Photo: University of South Florida

The buoy, created with the assistance of a grant from NSF's Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination program, was installed off Egmont Key in the Gulf of Mexico and has been producing data on the three-dimensional motion of the sea floor.

Ultimately the system will be able to detect small changes in the stress and strain of the Earth's crust, said Tim Dixon, a marine scientist at the university.

The seafloor system is an anchored spar buoy topped by a high precision Global Positioning System. The buoy's orientation is measured using a digital compass that provides heading, pitch, and roll information –- helping to capture the crucial side-to-side motion of the Earth that can be diagnostic of major tsunami-producing earthquakes.

Knowledge of offshore strain accumulation and release processes is critical to understanding shallow-water earthquakes and tsunamis. (National Science Foundation)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Plant biodiversity struggles to return in wake of agricultural abandonment

Decades after farmland is abandoned, plant biodiversity and productivity struggle to recover, according to new University of Minnesota research.

Global disasters linked to warming Indo-Pacific seas

East Asian floods, African droughts and the frequent California fires may be linked to the rapid warming of the Indo-Pacific Ocean that impacts global rainfall patterns and corresponding weather, says a new study.

Observing 'black hole symphony' using gravitational wave astronomy

Shrouded in mystery since their discovery, black holes continue to be mind-boggling enigmas in our universe.

Bacteria-infected mosquitoes slash dengue cases

Wolbachia bacteria disrupt reproduction of the dengue virus within mosquitoes.

Babies in neonatal intensive care units are exposed to harmful chemical substances found in plastic

A multidisciplinary team of scientists from Granada, Spain, has detected bisphenol A and parabens in a wide range of plastic medical devices, fabrics, and personal care products commonly used in hospital neonatal intensive care units, coming into direct contact with new-born babies.

Environmental change in Africa: Will it lead to a drying Lake Victoria?

Researchers develop model to project levels in world's largest tropical lake.