From Brenda Jones (Disaster Response Coordinator, USGS EROS Center):

Data sources document -
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...

http://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/
- All HDDS data available through Graphical Viewer

http://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/feed/rss?event=201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Japan
- RSS recent history of Japan data ingest
- Requires login for restricted imagery

EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI JAPAN
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...

Map_Products folder
- posted to Evacuation, Iwate_Otsuchi

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/disaster_restricted/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_...

QUICKBIRD_NGA folder
- published 8 images ( 03/20/11 )

WORLDVIEW_NGA folder
- published 352 images ( 03/12 - 03/14/11, 03/20/11, 03/23/11 )

SATELLITE/NON_INGESTED/SPOT_DOD folder
- posted L1A/L2A 26 images ( 03/12/11, 03/13/11, 03/18/11 )

SATELLITE/NATIVE folder
- posted native (original format) imagery received

http://hdds.usgs.gov/EO/library.php
2011 Japan Earthquake / Tsunami links
- updates available

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...
- browse available

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...
- shape files available

Available here:

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~pagem/Japan/JapanAftershocks.mpg

All locations and magnitudes are from the NEIC catalog.

From Brenda Jones (Disaster Response Coordinator, USGS EROS Center):

http://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/
- All HDDS data available through Graphical Viewer

http://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/feed/rss
- RSS recent history of HDDS data ingested / data links
- Requires login for restricted imagery

Data sources document -
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...

EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI JAPAN
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...

ASTER folder
- posted L1B 4 images ( 01/26/10 )

LANDSAT_ETM+_USGS folder
- published 2 images ( 03/19/11 )

Map_Products folder
- posted to Fukushima_Minamisomashi, Miyagi_Higashimatsushimashi, Miyagi_Tagajyoushi

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/disaster_restricted/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_...

IKONOS_NGA folder
- published 16 images ( 03/20/11 )

QUICKBIRD_NGA folder
- published 8 images ( 03/19/11 )

WORLDVIEW_NGA folder
- published 703 images ( 03/11/11, 03/14/11, 03/20/11)

SATELLITE/NATIVE folder
- posted native (original format) imagery received

http://hdds.usgs.gov/EO/library.php
2011 Japan Earthquake / Tsunami links
- updates available

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...
- browse available

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...
- shape files available

From Bruce Jaffe (USGS):

In answer to Walter Mooney's question on this mornings conference call, tsunami heights reported so far for the 2011 tsunami don't may not be unprecedented. Attached is a list Professor Shuto prepared of tsunami heights for the 1933 (Showa) and 1896 (Meiji) tsunamis in area impacted by the 2011 tsunami. There are many heights >10 m and some >25 m.

From Peter Haeussler (USGS) on 3/19/11:

FYI, I made a map of the tide gauge residuals at stations in Alaska that saw the Japan tsunami. The map at the top, shows the tide gauge locations. Keep in mind the width of this map is the same as the width of the lower 48 states. I was perhaps most surprised to see the signal in the Juneau tide gauge. It's just so far from the ocean to Juneau up fjords.

From Brenda Jones (Disaster Response Coordinator, USGS EROS Center):

http://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/
- All HDDS data available through Graphical Viewer

http://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/feed/rss
- RSS recent history of HDDS data ingested / data links
- Requires login for restricted imagery

EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI JAPAN
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...

Map_Products folder
- posted to Fukushima_Ohkuma, Iwate_Rikuzentakada, Miyagi_Higashimatsushimashi, Miyagi_Kamaishi

SATELLITE/NON_INGESTED/ASTER folder
- posted L1B image ( 07/24/10 )

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/disaster_restricted/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_...

WORLDVIEW_NGA folder
- published 375 images ( 03/19/11 )

SATELLITE/NATIVE folder
- posted native (original format) imagery received

http://hdds.usgs.gov/EO/library.php
2011 Japan Earthquake / Tsunami links
- Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (DLR/ZKI) updates

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...
- browse available

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Ja...
- shape files available

From David Applegate (USGS) on 3/18/11:

*** JMA Aftershock Probability ***
Here's text from the "fourth report" from JMA issued March 16: <http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/News/2011_Earthquake_04.html>
Aftershock activity:  The activities of aftershocks of "The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake" has been very active. As of 12:00 JST, 16 March, the aftershocks larger than magnitude 7.0 occurred 3 times, and those larger than 6.0 occurred 48 times. The largest aftershock occurred at 15:25 JST, 11 March (magnitude 7.5). The aftershocks have occurred in the large area off the coast of Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki Prefectures. When compared to past cases, the activity of aftershocks is very high.

Aftershock outlook:  

• Near the epicenter, maximum JMA Seismic Intensity of aftershocks may be 5- or higher.
• A strong aftershock may occur tsunami. Be cautious when a tsunami warning or advisory is issued.
• Estimating from the occurrence of aftershocks so far, the possibility of aftershocks with maximum JMA Seismic Intensity of 5+ or higher is 40% for the 3-day period from 12:00 JST, 16 March, followed by 20% for the 3-day period from 12:00 JST, 19 March to 12:00 JST, 22 March.

(As mentioned on the call, 5-Upper roughly corresponds to MMI VII-VIII)

*** Earthquake Early Warning Performance ***
Videos illustrating earthquake early warning (from Doug Given):
Good real-time capture of TV EEW popup with explanatory subtitles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU1bYspMyQw
Another version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-riLCNCdwJ4
Example of computer EEW message followed by strong shaking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYctjv7ouBc

*** News Footage ***
There are so many different stories, but this one hit particularly hard:
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/japan-tsunami-minamisanriku-a-fishing-port-that-vanished-/2011/03/13/ABulj1T_blog.html?referrer=emaillink

*** Corrected Link ***
In one of my earlier messages, I provided a bum link to a site listing remote sensing product availability. The correct URL is:
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Japan/docs_misc/Data_Sources/JapanQuakeDataSources.htm

*** Clearinghouses ***
SCEC: Discussion and coordination for the NZ earthquake is happening at: http://response.scec.org/node/313. People can access the response.scec.org using their SCEC username and password. If they have forgotten their password, go to: http://response.scec.org/user/password. For those who do not have a SCEC account, complete the form and we will get you set up ASAP: http://response.scec.org/contact. If you still have problems accessing, please email response@scec.org.

NEIC has set up a Website for sharing information in an earthquake response. Over the last month or so it has been in experimental use to a limited but expanding number of users. With the amount of information that needs to be shared for this latest event, you are encouraged to use this site for posting information. The URL is https://xcollaboration.usgs.gov/wg/eqcom/japan03102011. It is open to internal and external collaborators but password protected. When you first try to access the site you will be prompted with a link to request access. Lisa Wald will try to approve access as quickly as possible, but it will take a bit of time as her inbox in overflowing.

EERI's clearinghouse link for Japan earthquake: http://www.eqclearinghouse.org/2011-03-11-sendai/ and while we're at it, EERI New Zealand clearinghouse link?: http://www.eqclearinghouse.org/2011-02-22-christchurch/

Link to California Clearinghouse: http://www.eqclearinghouse.org/CA/. Also: http://www.eqclearinghouse.org/CA/category/effect-of-honshu-tsunami-in-ca

A new web site that is a work in progress (more to be posted later) with California and Hawaii tsunami observation is at: http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/news/field.html. This site includes photos and videos of the tsunami at Santa Cruz Harbor, which is located in Central California. Links to other sites, including Eric Geist's model of the tsunami and a startling aerial reconnaissance of tsunami effects in Maui are included.

Japanese colleague Kazuo Konagai sent a useful web portal to GEER: http://konalab.main.jp/tohoku-kanto-eq/navi.cgi

IRIS has put together a webpage listing links: http://www.iris.edu/news/events/japan2011/

*** Field Deployment Guidance ***
The following message was posted to the ITIC bulletin board and has also been circulated around the GEER team:

From: jbourgeo@u.washington.edu
Date: March 16, 2011 7:48:23 PM PDT
To: "ITIC Tsunami Bulletin Board" <tsunami_bb@infolist.nws.noaa.gov>
Subject: Protocol for post-tsunami surveying in most-affected regions
Reply-To: "ITIC Tsunami Bulletin Board" <tsunami_bb@infolist.nws.noaa.gov>

ITIC Tsunami Bulletin Board
 PROTOCOLS FOR STARTING FIELD SURVEYS OF THE 2011 TSUNAMI IN IWATE, MIYAGI, AND FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURES
Fumihiko Imamura (Tohoku Univ.), Shunichi Koshimura (Tohoku Univ.), Shigeki Sakai (Iwate Univ.), Toshiki Ogasawara (Iwate Univ.), Tomoyuki Takahashi (Kansai Univ.), Nobuo Shuto (Tohoku Univ.)

Dear colleagues,
Please wait at least until the nuclear situation is settled – until April at earliest. Under very challenging circumstances and following a reconnaissance survey attempt, tsunami scientists in northern Honshu have developed protocols below for further surveys.  Key to both protocols:  The surveys do not begin until after safety and well-being have been established for people in the affected regions – and for surveyors themselves.
     Japanese scientists are grateful for worldwide concerns for affected regions and for offers of assistance.  They ask foreigners to recognize that for now, the region’s priorities are in search and rescue, emergency shelter, and the nuclear crisis.
     Please do not directly contact the researchers in Tohoku and Iwate universities at this moment. They are too busy now and it’s very difficult to reply. They will advise the international tsunami community of when survey of the Pacific coast of NE Japan will possible.

PROTOCOLS:

DOMESTIC SURVEY TEAMS—Preliminary surveys will begin with groups composed of domestic participants only.  These groups will start their research only after the following conditions are met:  1) scale down of search and rescue activities and move to recovery phase. 2) confirmation of security (especially the issue of nuclear power plants). 3) sufficient supply of certain goods and fuel have been provided to the victims, and lift of restrictions on road travel.

INTERNATIONAL SURVEYS—Follow-up surveys with foreign participants will begin only after the above conditions have been confirmed through the preliminary surveys by Japanese researchers. When an international team is organized, it should include one or more Japanese researcher(s) with responsibility for rental car, driving and hotel reservations as well as reporting the results to Japanese communities. The Japanese researcher(s) who accompany international team(s) should first have checked the safety of all of their students before participating in such surveys..

From Bruce Jaffe (USGS Pacific Science Center):

UNESCO sent the attached file to the Tsunami Bulletin Board.  It includes tide gage data showing 40 cm subsidence in Japan. It also has information on known casualties and the number of missing people (different estimates by different entities).

From Ken Hudnut (USGS), in response to Mike Hutt's question "does anyone have authoritative information or a contact for the impact on the WGS-84 coordinate system?":

IGS-mail is an international forum for observations on changes to space geodetic reference systems, so that is a good place to get information. For those of you who do not track that, here is a quick summary of IGS postings about the Tohoku earthquake and its associated displacements.

By the way, IERS handles updates to the ITRF and they have not yet posted any revisions since the mainshock on their web site here: http://www.iers.org/IERS/EN/IERSHome/home.html?__nnn=true

I gather NGA would be the one to make any revisions to WGS-84.

Keep in mind that at this point, the only changes in whole earth motions are model results and such changes haven't been confirmed by observation after either the Sumatra-Andaman 2004 or Chile 2010 events. That is, these are subtle and possibly not even observable changes that have been over-reacted to in some of the news media coverage.

Motions across Japan are a different story - they are well observed and are being reported on in a very impressive manner by colleagues in Japan.

The attached note was distributed to IGS-mail from Yuki Hatanaka at GSI several hours ago -- it is the first official posting to IGS-mail that I have seen from anyone at GSI; GSI is the agency in Japan that is responsible for its GEONET array of over 1200 continuously operating GPS stations.

Please see Hatanaka's note for the official GSI web site and how to navigate to their latest results and models.

The GSI web site for any informal updates is: http://www.jishin.go.jp/main/chousa/11mar_sanriku-oki/

The initial posting on IGS-mail was from Takeshi Sagiya at Nagoya Univ. with an initial model for slip on the fault, based on the initial GSI GPS displacements -- it is also attached below for your reference.

In this note, Hatanaka comments about the displacement of the fiducial site at Tsukuba, which is the location of the GSI network operations base.

Here is a JPL press release about earth orientation changes, but note that these are only modeled results and have not been confirmed by observations at this time: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-080

Here is the JPL scientist's e-mail:      Richard Gross <Richard.Gross@jpl.nasa.gov>

Regards,

    Ken

Begin forwarded message:

From: Yuki Hatanaka <hata@gsi.go.jp>

Date: March 17, 2011 3:54:58 AM PDT

To: igsmail@igscb.jpl.nasa.gov

Subject: [IGSMAIL-6369] Preliminary results on the March 11, 2011 M9.0 Earthquake in Japan on GSI's web page

Dear colleagues,

I would like to inform you that preliminary results of the crustal deformation associated with the M9.0 earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011 and the fault models obtained by the routine solutions of GEONET is uploaded on the English web page of Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI): http://www.gsi.go.jp/ENGLISH/index.html

Click the items in the "New topics" for detail. I just remark that the temporal resolution of the three types of the routine solutions are 6 hours for the quick solutions (Solution ID: Q3), and 24 hours for the rapid (R3) and final (F3) solutions. Some amount of post-seismic deformation is, hence, not separated from the "co-seismic" displacement and models.

According to the Geodetic Observation Center of GSI, at least 3 GEONET stations were damaged by Tsunami and terminated the observation.  As of March 17, we cannot retrieve data from 25 stations around the epicenter due to the failures of power or communication line.  IGS stations operated by GSI are safe, but coordinates of TSKB are affected by the crustal deformation from the earthquake.

Sincerely,

Yuki Hatanaka

- - -

Here are some links to the sources of information:

GSI is the agency in Japan that operates a network of over 1200 continuously-operating GPS stations that recorded these ground motions: http://www.jishin.go.jp/main/chousa/11mar_sanriku-oki/

On these web sites, you can find their figures showing the horizontal and vertical GPS displacement observations: http://www.rcep.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/events/110311tohoku/miyazaki/index.html

Also, here is another web site with an abundant amount of excellent information provided by our colleagues in Japan: http://www.rcep.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/events/110311tohoku/index.html

Here are displacements computed using the GSI GPS data, processed by the Caltech/JPL group called ARIA: http://supersites.earthobservations.org/ARIA_co_and_postseismic_V0.3.png, http://supersites.earthobservations.org/ARIA_japan_vert_coseismic_V0.2.png

And here is a list of links to other web sites showing the main results on crustal deformation from this earthquake: http://supersites.earthobservations.org/sendai.php

- - -

Begin forwarded message:

From: Takeshi Sagiya <sagiya@seis.nagoya-u.ac.jp>

Date: March 13, 2011 12:09:51 AM PST

To: igsmail@igscb.jpl.nasa.gov

Subject: [IGSMAIL-6360] M9.0 quake in Japan

Dear colleagues,

As you know, a wide area in northeast Japan was damaged by the strong shaking and tsunami caused by the M9.0 earthquake on March 11, 2011.  We are working on modeling static deformation based on GPS data, which were quickly publicized by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI). A summary of preliminary analysis report in English was posted below.

http://www.seis.nagoya-u.ac.jp/take/tohoku/2011HonshuEQ.pdf

Sincerely yours,

Takeshi Sagiya and Takeo Ito

From: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-080

March 14, 2011

The March 11, magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan may have shortened the length of each Earth day and shifted its axis. But don't worry-you won't notice the difference.

Using a United States Geological Survey estimate for how the fault responsible for the earthquake slipped, research scientist Richard Gross of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., applied a complex model to perform a preliminary theoretical calculation of how the Japan earthquake-the fifth largest since 1900-affected Earth's rotation. His calculations indicate that by changing the distribution of Earth's mass, the Japanese earthquake should have caused Earth to rotate a bit faster, shortening the length of the day by about 1.8 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second).

The calculations also show the Japan quake should have shifted the position of Earth's figure axis (the axis about which Earth's mass is balanced) by about 17 centimeters (6.5 inches), towards 133 degrees east longitude. Earth's figure axis should not be confused with its north-south axis; they are offset by about 10 meters (about 33 feet). This shift in Earth's figure axis will cause Earth to wobble a bit differently as it rotates, but it will not cause a shift of Earth's axis in space-only external forces such as the gravitational attraction of the sun, moon and planets can do that.

Both calculations will likely change as data on the quake are further refined.

In comparison, following last year's magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile, Gross estimated the Chile quake should have shortened the length of day by about 1.26 microseconds and shifted Earth's figure axis by about 8 centimeters (3 inches). A similar calculation performed after the 2004 magnitude 9.1 Sumatran earthquake revealed it should have shortened the length of day by 6.8 microseconds and shifted Earth's figure axis by about 7 centimeters, or 2.76 inches. How an individual earthquake affects Earth's rotation depends on its size (magnitude), location and the details of how the fault slipped.

Gross said that, in theory, anything that redistributes Earth's mass will change Earth's rotation.

"Earth's rotation changes all the time as a result of not only earthquakes, but also the much larger effects of changes in atmospheric winds and oceanic currents," he said. "Over the course of a year, the length of the day increases and decreases by about a millisecond, or about 550 times larger than the change caused by the Japanese earthquake. The position of Earth's figure axis also changes all the time, by about 1 meter (3.3 feet) over the course of a year, or about six times more than the change that should have been caused by the Japan quake."

Gross said that while we can measure the effects of the atmosphere and ocean on Earth's rotation, the effects of earthquakes, at least up until now, have been too small to measure. The computed change in the length of day caused by earthquakes is much smaller than the accuracy with which scientists can currently measure changes in the length of the day. However, since the position of the figure axis can be measured to an accuracy of about 5 centimeters (2 inches), the estimated 17-centimeter shift in the figure axis from the Japan quake may actually be large enough to observe if scientists can adequately remove the larger effects of the atmosphere and ocean from the Earth rotation measurements. He and other scientists will be investigating this as more data become available.

Gross said the changes in Earth's rotation and figure axis caused by earthquakes should not have any impacts on our daily lives. "These changes in Earth's rotation are perfectly natural and happen all the time," he said. "People shouldn't worry about them."

Alan Buis 818-354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov

From Brenda Jones (Disaster Response Coordinator, USGS EROS Center):

Following is a list of imagery recently available on the USGS Hazards Data Distribution System.  Please contact either myself (bkjones@usgs.gov) or Rynn Lamb (lamb@usgs.gov) for access to the restricted data.

Data sources document:
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Japan/docs_misc/Data_Sources/DataSources.html

HDDS UPDATES
http://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/      
- All HDDS data available through Graphical Viewer      

http://hdds.usgs.gov/hdds2/feed/rss      
- RSS recent history of HDDS data ingested / data links      
- Requires login for restricted imagery    

EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI JAPAN    
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Japan/data/

SATELLITE/NON_INGESTED/ASTER folder
- posted 1 image  (11/13/2010)
http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/disaster_restricted/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Japan/data/    

GEOEYE_NGA folder  
- published 252 images  ( 03/16/11, 03/13/11,  06/01/10, 07/23/10, 09/02/10  )  

QUICKBIRD_NGA folder  
- published 36 images  ( 03/16/11, 03/12/11, 06/26/10  )  

WORLDVIEW_NGA folder  
- published 311 images  ( 03/16/11, 03/14/11, 02/04/11  )    

SATELLITE/NON_INGESTED/COSMO folder  
- posted 21 images  ( 03/12/11 )  

SATELLITE/NATIVE folder    
- posted native (original format) imagery received  

http://hdds.usgs.gov/EO/library.php      
2011 Japan Earthquake / Tsunami links  
- ERDAS disaster maps

SPOTIMAGE data link for SPOT/FORMOSAT imagery

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Japan/browse/    
- browse available    

http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/disaster/201103_Earthquake_Tsunami_Japan/shapefiles/index/    
- shape files available    

Shared by Ken Hudnut (USGS), recently released hazard map by HERP.