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www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 33mi warning system, assuming the dis-tance between the coastline and shelf edge is long enough (> 50 km) toallow sufficient time for warning. This can be achieved only with array type antenna systems like WERA which are the only systems able to provide the spatial and temporal reso- lution required for reliably detecting the fast approaching tsunami wave. Tsunami waves generate a charac- teristic periodic ocean surface current pattern which can be used as tsunami?signature?. This tsunami signature was detected in the signal recorded by the WERA system in Chile. A com- parison of the measured radar signa- tures with nearby sea level measure- ments showed a high correlation between the two signals confirming that the WERA system was successful in capturing the tsunami signal.This unique radar measurement of a real tsunami is the proof of concept the ocean radar community has beenwaiting for. The significance of this findingrequired a rigorous review of the acquired data and confirmation of the results by three independent scientif- ic groups (University of Concepcion, Chile, University of Hamburg, and Hamburg University of Technology, Germany). The final and detailed results of the analysis will be present- ed by these groups in upcoming con- ferences and in the peer reviewed lit- erature. Thus, HF radar technology proved to have widespread potential to help many aspects of coastal oceanresearch and management. Additional information could be found on the following websites: aHelzel Messtechnik is the German manufacturer of the shore-based ocean radar "WERA". The system provides reliable data of ocean surface currents and significant wave height and direc- tion pixel by pixel with an outstanding spatial and temporal resolution for VTS, SAR and environmental protec- tion applications. WERA systems are modular, broadband and can provide either very long ranges of more than 200 km or shorter ranges with higher resolution. WERA can be configured in a compact site geometry using direction finding methods or with array type antennas in beam forming mode pro- viding highest reliability and accuracy. www.helzel.com www.wavehub.co.uk www.primare.org www.imos.org.au www.seaviewsensing.com www.actimar.fr MTR#7 (18-33):MTR Layouts 8/29/2011 10:07 AM Page 33
