Seismic monitoring stations in Alaska are closing after a denied federal grant, risking delayed tsunami warnings for people living on the West Coast.

Nine seismic stations in Alaska are set to go dark this month, leaving tsunami forecasters without important data used to determine whether an earthquake will send a destructive wave barreling toward the West Coast.

The stations relied on a federal grant that lapsed last year; this fall, the Trump administration declined to renew it. Data from the stations helps researchers determine the magnitude and shape of earthquakes along the Alaskan Subduction Zone, a fault that can produce some of the most powerful quakes in the world and put California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii at risk.

Losing the stations could lead Alaska’s coastal communities to receive delayed notice of an impending tsunami, according to Michael West, the director of the Alaska Earthquake Center. And communities farther away, like in Washington state, could get a less precise forecast.

  • Mike D@piefed.social
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    4 days ago

    A NOAA grant for about $300,000 each year had supported the stations.

    Have a feeling this figure will come up after a disaster.

      • TotallynotJessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        4 days ago

        Considering a megaquake in the northwest would be the single greatest disaster in American history, the knock on effects would force him to give a shit. He’d probably downplay and neglect it till the end of his days, but the economic impact would cripple the nation. If anything could grow regional differences that would allow for civil war and Balkanization, it’s millions of west coast residents dying and the survivors being shafted by the federal government.

        That said, the chances of a Cascadia fault line quake during Trump’s administration aren’t that high. A starvation triggering economic depression caused by tariffs, overspeculation into AI, and mass divestment from the US is all but guaranteed.

        • Scubus@sh.itjust.works
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          4 days ago

          Gonna be honest mate, i dont think he cares about any of that. He just said were living in the best times ever when were currently in one of the worst recssions of all time.

  • Professorozone@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Yeah and if a tsunami hits, the likes of which the world has never seen, the response will be, “How could we possibly have known? Oh well tens of thousands dead. Thoughts and prayers.”

  • Furbag@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Yeah, this is giving me “disbanding the watchdog organization in Wuhan, China to save taxpayer dollars” vibes.

    • HubertManne@piefed.social
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      3 days ago

      the fact this was so under reported and talked about is just crazy. I mean the timing could not be worse if it was planned. It was something like nov. 2019 when the last people were pulled out.

      • apftwb@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Dibs on conspiracies that China is building a tsunami-anator and is going to use it against Alaska.

        • SabinStargem@lemmy.today
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          3 days ago

          China can literally do nothing, and the Trump Regime would destroy America. They will likely follow Sun-Tzu’s advice and let nature takes it natural course.

  • Grimtuck@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Yes, but how do they make money for daddy Trump and his cronies? Tornados don’t really affect him so why have his personal piggy bank (the US government) pay money for these things. Better to give tax breaks to Apple so that they give him another golden award.