NOAA Aims for Predicting Tsunamis Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have announced that their satellites captured pictures of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that allow them to measure the height of the wave. At this point, the images cannot be used to forecast the hazardous effects of tsunamis. But they may lead to improvements in forecasting, and scientists can learn from the images.

NOAA Aims for Predicting Tsunamis

NOAA Aims for Predicting Tsunamis

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4278903/4278904" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Image of the Indian Ocean tsunami via satellite two hours after the earthquake. NOAA hide caption

See more satellite images.
toggle caption
NOAA

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have announced that their satellites captured pictures of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that allow them to measure the height of the wave. At this point, the images cannot be used to forecast the hazardous effects of tsunamis. But they may lead to improvements in forecasting, and scientists can learn from the images.

Guest:

Walter Smith, geophysicist, NOAA Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry