NOAA cancels longstanding funding for seismic data collection crucial to tsunami warning systems

**Summary:**On October 31st, a significant development occurred in Alaska's earthquake and tsunami safety. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is ending a contract that provided real-time data from earthquake monitoring stations across the state. This data was vital for NOAA's National Tsunami Center to issue warnings to at-risk communities within minutes of a tsunami threat. The Alaska Earthquake Center, which has been collecting and sharing this seismic data, will lose its funding by mid-November, potentially leaving dozens of seismic monitoring sites, especially those in vulnerable regions, without data. This move could have far-reaching consequences, as Alaska-generated tsunamis have traveled and affected other Pacific regions in the past. The Alaska Earthquake Center has no alternatives and will likely shut down NOAA-supported stations, leaving a significant safety gap for both Alaskans and those in other Pacific regions. DNN | The Daily News Now! The world’s first global local news network. Every city. Every story. AI powered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.