Working Group on Tsunamis and Other Hazards Related to Sea-Level Warning and Mitigation Systems (TOWS-WG), third meeting, Lisbon, Portugal, 5-6 May 2010
(2010). Working Group on Tsunamis and Other Hazards Related to Sea-Level Warning and Mitigation Systems (TOWS-WG), third meeting, Lisbon, Portugal, 5-6 May 2010. IOC Reports of Meetings of Experts and Equivalent Bodies(IOC/TOWS-WG-III/3). UNESCO: Paris. 11+VII annexes pp.
Part of: IOC Reports of Meetings of Experts and Equivalent Bodies. UNESCO: Paris. ISSN 1014-9538
Keywords
Hazards Sea level Tsunamis Marine/Coastal
Abstract
The Third Meeting of the Working Group on Tsunamis and Other Hazards Related to Sea-LevelWarning and Mitigation Systems (TOWS-WG-III) was held in Lisbon, Portugal, on 5-6 May 2010,hosted by the Portuguese Instituto de Meteorologia, under the chairmanship of Mr. Sang-KyungByun (IOC Vice-chairman). The meeting reviewed progress with respect to actions anddecisions taken by the Governing Bodies, mainly through Resolution XXV-13.The group agreed that the performance and capacity of delivery of GTS for tsunamipurposes needs to be addressed by WMO.The group agreed on the need of having the Compendium of Terms and Definitions inCoastal Disaster Risk Reduction as a self contained document that will include basic as well asspecialized concepts to serve as a reference document. This decision implies including in itdefinitions for risk and vulnerability. It further agreed to recommend completing the document byDecember 2010 as a reachable target. Towards that end a clear timeline should be put forwardand agreed by the Executive Council. The Group also recommended establishing a strongeditorial team to guide the process and provide direct advice to the consultant.The group suggested that some other IOC and non-IOC communities be added to thereviewing process such as IP-HAB, ICAM, ISDR and ICG Working Groups.The group agreed to forward to the IOC 43rd Executive Council the Draft Compendiumof Terms and Definitions in Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction (as in Annex II) recommending tolaunch a 10 months process that shall include:• Request ICGs to review and comment on the draft• Request WMO, ISDR and IOC bodies to provide comments on the draft• Open consultations conducted with specifics communities or users groups• The establishment of an editorial team, to be determined by TOWS-WG inconsultation with the Secretariat, to prepare a final version for printing andtranslating.The group agreed that IOC should raise the data requirement at the policy level todemonstrate the need for real time data directly to governments, rather than at IOC governingbodies only.The group agreed to focus on real-time data, emphasizing that for tsunami warningtimeliness is more important than precision or data quality. This could make it easier for someinstitutions to agree to share their data.The group agreed in respect of Tsunami related Data Exchange aspects to ask ICGs toprovide sensitivity studies about data available/not available for tsunami warning systems within3 months and establish a TOWS-WG Task Team to synthesize the results of the studiesprovided by the ICGs.The group also agreed to solicit from IODE a report on implementation of the IOCOceanographic Data Policy indicating which data type is less or not fully exchanged, in particularon sea level. It further agreed to solicit from CTBTO to provide similar analysis for seismic data.The group recommended to raise to the highest levels the need for free data exchangefor tsunami warning purposes, through bilateral meetings or when and if possible by IOCExecutive Secretary, based on the above requested documentation yet to be developed.The group recommended that IOC heighten its advocacy for real time data exchange inorder to confirm as soon as possible that a tsunami is generated or not so that member statescan save lives. The tsunami centres should receive and process these data in real time tomeasure the tsunami wave’s amplitude. No automatic quality control is required from the dataprovider or at the tide station. The absolute value is not required to detect a tsunami, but relativefast variations of signal.The group agreed that the Task Team on Sea Level should look at the ICGsImplementation Plans to guide them on how to design the systems. It should also look intomaintenance issues. The Task Team should characterize how and with which criteria the corenetworks are designed in each TWS.The group also agreed that all data from the core network of sea level stations shouldbe available to all members, in compliance of the IOC Data Exchange Policy.The group agreed to recommend a joint meeting of Inter-ICG Task Teams in the secondhalf of 2010, preferably in September, with India and USA as potential hosts, pending definitionof dates and funding arrangements, in coordination with the Secretariat. The Secretariat wasrequested to circulate information on WMO/CBS evaluation process.The group agreed to reaffirm the value of a multi-hazard approach to maintaining a vitaltsunami warning system at local, national and regional levels.
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