Development and Sea Test Results of a Deep-Sea Tsunami Warning Buoy System

摘要

Tsunamis are catastrophic ocean waves that could cause devastating damage to human lives, properties, and coastal infrastructures. This article presents the design and sea test results of a deep-sea tsunami warning buoy system. The system consists of a seafloor tsunami detection subsystem and a surface buoy. The tsunami detection subsystem monitors the tsunami waves through seafloor water pressure measurement. Detection of tsunami waves is achieved by separating the influence of astronomical tidal waves from the seafloor measurements via a cubic polynomial extrapolation method. The deep seafloor measurements and the tsunami detection results are transmitted in real time from the seafloor subsystem to the surface buoy via underwater acoustic communications; the buoy then relays the data to an onshore tsunami warning center via satellite links. The tsunami warning buoy system was evaluated in four deep-sea tests at different locations. In the last sea test, the system achieved an effective working duration of 108 consecutive days. This article analyzes the causes of false alarms and data transmission failures in the sea tests and puts forward effective solutions for system improvement. The system design and the sea test results could serve as references for future development of deep-sea infrastructures.