Successful first test of tsunami warning system in North East Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas

The test involved the Tsunami Warning Focal Points of 31 countries in the region. They received a test message at 10.36 UTC via electronic mail, fax and the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) from the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI, Turkey). Early results show the messages were well received within a few minutes of being sent.

The success of this first test paves the way for the establishment of regional tsunami warning centres. The first two, KOERI in Turkey and the Atomic Energy Centre in France, should be operational some time in 2012 when a more exhaustive test will be conducted. Others are planned for Greece, Italy and Portugal at a later date.

Historically, strong seismic activity has been observed in the Mediterranean and North-eastern Atlantic, albeit less frequently than in the Pacific Ocean. A powerful earthquake in the Azores-Gibraltar Fault Zone and subsequent tsunami destroyed the city of Lisbon in 1755. IN 1908, a sub-sea earthquake near Messina and the subsequent tsunami took the lives of more than 100,000 people in Sicily and Calabria (Italy). Weaker tsunamis have been observed more recently, notably one generated off the coast of Algeria in 2003.

The Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System for the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas is one of four regional Early Warning and Mitigation Systems coordinated by UNESCO-IOC. Similar systems are in operation in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Caribbean.