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Image Source: https://www.freespeech.

org/photo/japan-still-grappling-aftermath

Robo Rampage
FIRST Lego League (FLL) Team Number: 7940
Sharon, MA
http://teamroborampage.weebly.com/
Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA, FLL Team # 7940 1
Tsunami Detection system
Deep-ocean Assessment and
Reporting of Tsunami (DART) system
(developed by Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL)/National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA))

Current Problem: DART alerts people when


Tsunami happens. So when Tsunamis epicenter is
close to the shore, people have less time to
evacuate.

How DART could save more people by providing


some more time to evacuate?

We think we have a Solution!

Figure Source: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/dart/dart.shtml


Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA, FLL Team # 7940 2
Check out the little Blue
Triangular object attached
to DARTs Tsunameter and
our Cartoons for the
Tectonic plate movement
below the sea surface
and the white dots
(represents geo gases)
around them

G.O.G.S Geo-gases
Figure: Modified DART as proposed by Robo Rampage
Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA, FLL Team # 7940
Our Solution: G.O.G.S
(Geo Gas Sensor)
Did you notice the triangle in those pictures?
That is our sensor G.O.G.S. (proposed). The G.O.G.S senses the circles (geo gases such
as: inert gases (e.g.helium, radon), carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide
etc.) coming out of the ground and monitor the sea water pH changes on a real time basis.
You might be asking yourself Why do we even need G.O.G.S?
Well, the original DART has a bottom pressure monitor, wind sensor, pressure sensor,
sea surface temperature and conductivity sensor, air temp sensor, and a humidity sensor which
alerts people (through satellites). When you attach G.O.G.S to the current DART system (as we
proposed here), it should be able to give us significantly advance warning BEFORE the Tsunami
(triggered by underwater earthquake, volcano eruption, of landslide) happens. The G.O.G.S.
should be more active when the Tsunami is triggered by underwater volcano or landslides which
could release geo-gases prior to Tsunami.
So when Tsunami occurs near sea-shore, people have more time to evacuate. So
G.O.G.S will save more people.

See the following slides how it works!

Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA, FLL Team # 7940 4


Modification to DART
proposed by Robo Rampage
(Sharon, MA)

This diagram depicts our


postulates that there is an
increase of the geo-gases
-release from the sea-floor
before the underwater
earthquake/ landslide
/volcano happens (see our
references page)

As per our knowledge,


current DART System is
not capable of detecting
this event which occurs
prior to Tsunami

Figure: Modified DART as proposed by Robo Rampage


Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA, FLL Team # 7940 5
Modification to DART proposed
by Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA

This diagram shows that there


could be a rapid increase of the
geo-gases -release from the sea
floor (duration could vary from
seconds, minutes. Hours or days)
prior to Tsunami.

As per our knowledge, current


DART System is not capable of
detecting these advance warning
signs but we believe our G.O.G.S
will be able to detect these
warnings, which means people
will get more time to evacuate
(specially shore areas near to
Tsunami epicenter)compared to
the alert notice from the current
DART system

Level of warning (for e.g. color


code) can be varied based on the
intensity of the geo-gases evolve
prior to Tsunami

Figure: Modified DART as proposed by Robo Rampage


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Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA, FLL Team # 7940
Our literature research on Geo-gases and DART
http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/Dart/ (Description on DART)
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/ (DART and Chemistry of the ocean)
http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/30707/InTech-
Radon_as_earthquake_precursor.pdf (radon Gas as earthquake precursor)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_prediction (radon emission)
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2010/mar/18/a-radon-detector-for-
earthquake-prediction ( A radon detector for earth-quake prediction)
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0518/Japan-earthquake-Big-shallow-
quakes-have-a-warning-signal-say-researchers (Release of Radon gas prior to
March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan)
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/hazards/primer/gas.html (Volcanic gases)
http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/22/1/59.abstract (gas escape from sea floor)
http://theconversation.com/journey-to-the-centre-of-the-earth-how-our-planet-
evolved-3534 (inert gases trapped inside the earth)
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/ (volcanic gases)
And others sources not reported here

Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA, FLL Team # 7940 7


Comments from Experts
Experts from NOAA/PEML
1. Theproblem you bring up about providing more time for people to evacuate
when the earthquake it closer to shore is a very real problem and scientists at NOAA
are actually working on that problem right now! We actually have our latest
generation DART buoy in testing off the coast of Oregon as we speak that will
hopefully be able to measure a tsunami and earthquake at the same time with higher
precision to offer warnings much faster to close coastal communities.
2. What you are proposing would be able to sense an tsunami generating earthquake before it happens...that would lead to even
MORE lead time of a possible tsunami event. Very interesting idea!!
3. You should probably consult an earthquake expert at USGS or somewhere regarding being able to measure gases before an
earthquake.

4 . Overall I think this is a great idea!! However, something to keep in mind is


that we will still always need to wait for data from the DART buoys after the tsunami as past over so we can see how big it will be
before warning coastal communities. Only after we get that data can we determine if an evacuation is necessary or not, most
earthquakes don't generate tsunamis large enough to affect coastal communities. That being said, if we knew a
potential earthquake might occur emergency teams could at least be notified sooner
to be prepared for a potential tsunami event.
.

Robo Rampage, FLL Team # 7940 8


Comments from Experts (contd.)
Experts from NOAA/PEML
. ..
I am a geologist who studies submarine volcanoes and hydrothermal vents, and I'm also familiar with earthquakes, tsunamis, and the DART
First of all, congratulations to you and your class on your very
buoy systems.
creative idea for adding a Geo-Gas Sensor to the DART system. It is a good
idea to add new sensors to a system that already can transmit data from the
seafloor to shore, and we are always looking for ways that might provide
better information about natural hazards like earthquakes and tsunamis.
You might also be interested to learn about the new cabled observatory that
is being installed in the NE Pacific, because similar sensors could be added
to that system (more information here: www.interactiveoceans.washington.edu/
My main criticism is that earthquake and tsunami prediction is very difficult and despite many
years of research there have been no reliable precursors found that can be used to predict
them (yet) - not even "Geo-Gases". So you can't really say that adding a Geo-Gas sensor to a DART system would definitely
help predict tsunamis and save lives. However, this could be a very legitimate idea
to test. In other words, my main suggestion to improve your presentation would be to frame it as more of a scientific experiment
and less as a sure-thing solution.
In fact, this is really exactly how science works - people come up with new ideas to try and then
they test them to see if their ideas really work or not. So again, well done to you and your
students for being so creative and for thinking like a scientist! Good luck with your competition.
-.

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Robo Rampage, FLL Team # 7940
Comments from Experts (contd.)
Experts from a Local University
This is a really nice presentation.
What I think you need to get across is why GPS may be unsuitable for identifying a coming EQ (what we would
term pre-seismic) as this would be the most obvious method. The implication would be that your method
would detect deep earth movements that release gases but do not perturb the surface of the earth and also
that this gives you a much narrower window than the years of GPS data needed to see deformation of the
earth.
Looking for such signals has been a strong focus for a decade or more to forecast
earthquakes.
Also think about false warnings, e.g., smaller EQs on the subduction zone that might cause a release of gas but not be big enough
to generate a tsunami.

I would also think about how you would then use this information to inform the public. E.g., how accurate and precise does it
have to be to make it useful? For instance, would Tokyo evacuate the entire city if you could tell them with 95% certainty there
was a tsunami coming in the next day? Week? Year? Decade? Century? Your slides point to you thinking that this would be shortly
before the event (although you talk more of the duration of the release rather than how long before the EQ it would occur), but
you might want to make this more explicit.

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Robo Rampage, FLL Team # 7940
Thank you!!
Let us know your thoughts and
suggestions. Please contact us at:
teamroborampage@gmail.com

Robo Rampage, Sharon, MA, FLL Team # 7940

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