Quantifying 10 Years of Improved Earthquake‐Monitoring Performance in the Caribbean Region

Abstract

Research Article| December 16, 2015 Quantifying 10 Years of Improved Earthquake‐Monitoring Performance in the Caribbean Region Daniel E. McNamara; Daniel E. McNamara aU.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center, 1711 Illinois Street, Golden, Colorado 80423 U.S.A.mcnamara@usgs.gov Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Christa von Hillebrandt‐Andrade; Christa von Hillebrandt‐Andrade bNational Weather Service, Caribbean Tsunami Warning Program, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, 259 Boulevard Alfonso Valdés, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00680 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jean‐Marie Saurel; Jean‐Marie Saurel cInstitut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75238 Paris CEDEX 05, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Victor Huerfano; Victor Huerfano dPuerto Rico Seismic Network, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, 259 Boulevard Alfonso Valdés, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00680 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lloyd Lynch Lloyd Lynch eSeismic Research Centre, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Daniel E. McNamara aU.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center, 1711 Illinois Street, Golden, Colorado 80423 U.S.A.mcnamara@usgs.gov Christa von Hillebrandt‐Andrade bNational Weather Service, Caribbean Tsunami Warning Program, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, 259 Boulevard Alfonso Valdés, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00680 Jean‐Marie Saurel cInstitut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75238 Paris CEDEX 05, France Victor Huerfano dPuerto Rico Seismic Network, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, 259 Boulevard Alfonso Valdés, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00680 Lloyd Lynch eSeismic Research Centre, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies Publisher: Seismological Society of America First Online: 14 Jul 2017 Online Issn: 1938-2057 Print Issn: 0895-0695 © 2015 by the Seismological Society of America Seismological Research Letters (2016) 87 (1): 26–36. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220150095 Article history First Online: 14 Jul 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Daniel E. McNamara, Christa von Hillebrandt‐Andrade, Jean‐Marie Saurel, Victor Huerfano, Lloyd Lynch; Quantifying 10 Years of Improved Earthquake‐Monitoring Performance in the Caribbean Region. Seismological Research Letters 2015;; 87 (1): 26–36. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220150095 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySeismological Research Letters Search Advanced Search ABSTRACT Over 75 tsunamis have been documented in the Caribbean and adjacent regions during the past 500 years. Since 1500, at least 4484 people are reported to have perished in these killer waves. Hundreds of thousands are currently threatened along the Caribbean coastlines. Were a great tsunamigenic earthquake to occur in the Caribbean region today, the effects would potentially be catastrophic due to an increasingly vulnerable region that has seen significant population increases in the past 40–50 years and currently hosts an estimated 500,000 daily beach visitors from North America and Europe, a majority of whom are not likely aware of tsunami and earthquake hazards. Following the magnitude 9.1 Sumatra–Andaman Islands earthquake of 26 December 2004, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) for the Tsunami and other Coastal Hazards Early Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (CARIBE‐EWS) was established and developed minimum performance standards for the detection and analysis of earthquakes. In this study, we model earthquake‐magnitude detection threshold and P‐wave detection time and demonstrate that the requirements established by the UNESCO ICG CARIBE‐EWS are met with 100% of the network operating. We demonstrate that earthquake‐monitoring performance in the Caribbean Sea region has improved significantly in the past decade as the number of real‐time seismic stations available to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tsunami warning centers have increased. We also identify weaknesses in the current international network and provide guidance for selecting the optimal distribution of seismic stations contributed from existing real‐time broadband national networks in the region. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.