Tsunami warning system for the pacific coast of Canada

Abstract

The Tsunami Warning System for the Pacific Coast of Canada, which is part of the International Tsunami Warning System for the Pacific Ocean, is reviewed and major problems are identified. The efficiency of the present warning system is examined in view of the prediction by the international seismological community that major earthquakes are likely to occur in various seismic gaps around the Pacific rim in the near future. Whereas the present system is more or less adequate for the outer coast, at present there is no warning system for tsunamis generated locally in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Georgia, or in Puget Sounds.