The design turns signal noise into a second source of evidence. Satellite-navigation signals pass through the ionosphere, where pressure waves from earthquakes and tsunamis can slightly perturb them; GUARDIAN’s algorithms treat those disturbances as useful detections rather than noise to correct away. [S1]
That approach uses GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite System data already collected by ground stations. NASA says conventional forecasters combine seismic data and computer simulations, then await confirmation from ocean-floor pressure sensors, which are effective but expensive and sparsely distributed. GUARDIAN is described as complementary, and its findings are currently best suited to trained analysts. [S1]
In the reported Kamchatka case, GUARDIAN’s algorithms spotted disturbances as soon as eight minutes after the magnitude 8.8 earthquake. The system then tracked tsunami signs across the Pacific for several hours; its Kauai flag preceded landfall and tide-gauge detection by about 32 minutes. The report presents this as a case study of potential extra lead time, not a guarantee for future events. [S1]
Source documents
- See NASA’s GUARDIAN Catch a Tsunamihttps://www.nasa.gov/science-research/earth-science/see-nasas-guardian-catch-a-tsunami/