Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART(R))

As part of the U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP), the Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART(R)) Project is an ongoing effort to maintain and improve the capability for the early detection and real-time reporting of tsunamis in the open ocean. DART(R) stations have been sited in regions with a history of generating destructive tsunamis to ensure early detection of tsunamis and to acquire data critical to real-time forecasts. DART(R) systems consist of an anchored seafloor bottom pressure recorder (BPR) and a companion moored surface buoy for real-time communications. An acoustic link transmits data from the BPR on the seafloor to the surface buoy. The data are then relayed via an Iridium satellite link to ground stations, which demodulate the signals for immediate dissemination to NOAA's Tsunami Warning Centers, NDBC, and PMEL. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI, formerly the National Geophysical Data Center--NGDC) serves as the archive center for this data and provides the historical data to users.