IOC's role in global coordination of Tsunami Warning Systems (TWS)

In the Pacific Ocean, where roughly 60% of all tsunamis take place, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) established a Tsunami Warning System (TWS) in 1965 which has been successfully operating for more than 40 years and ensuring that people living on the ocean’s rim receive prompt forecasts and warnings of impending tsunamis. This fully operational system has proven itself to be effective for many years.

Following the undersea earthquake on 26 December 2004 and the subsequent strongest tsunami in living memory, IOC took the lead in coordinating activities and immediate action to establish a Tsunami Warning System (TWS) in the Indian Ocean. The response included the establishment of an interim Tsunami Warning System (TWS) while the interim Tsunami Advisory Information is provided through the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The IOC General Assembly XXIII in Paris, 21-30 June 2005, confirmed the immediate action and response to the 2004 tsunami and adopted resolutions to create three regional Intergovernmental Coordination Groups (ICG’s for the Indian Ocean, the North-East Atlantic and Mediterranean as well as the Caribbean) to establish basin-wide TWS. Together with the existing System for the Pacific and other relevant UN bodies they will also contribute to the work of a global Coordination Group on tsunami and other sea-level related hazards warning systems (TOWS).