NWPTA Example

Latest Information

NWPTA TEMPLATE

WEPA40 RJTD DDhhmm					<--- (1)
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER NNN					<--- (2)
	ISSUED BY NWPTAC(JMA) ISSUED AT hhmmZ DD MMM YYYY PART nn OF NN PARTS
HYPOCENTRAL PARAMETERS					<--- (3)
	ORIGIN TIME:hhmmZ DD MMM YYYY PRELIMINARY EPRCENTER:LAT LL.L[NORTH] [SOUTH] LON LLL.LEAST Geographical Area (Regional Scale) Geogtaphical Area (Wider Scale) MAG:MM[MJMA]
EVALUATION					<--- (4)
	Tsunamigenic Potential
THIS BULLETIN IS FOR					<--- (5)
	Coastal Block 1 Coastal Block 2 Coastal Block 3 ...
ESTIMATED TSUNAMI ARRIVAL TIME AND ESTIMATED TSUNAMI WAVE AMPLITUDE					<--- (6)
Coastal Block 1
	LOCATION	COORDINATES	ARRIVAL TIME	AMPL
	FP1-1	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
Coastal Block 2
	LOCATION	COORDINATES	ARRIVAL TIME	AMPL
	FP2-1	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
	FP2-2	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
	FP2-3	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
Coastal Block 3
	LOCATION	COORDINATES	ARRIVAL TIME	AMPL
	FP3-1	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
	FP3-2	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
	FP3-3	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
	FP3-4	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
	FP3-5	LL.L[N] [S] LLL.LE	hhmmZ DD MMM	AMPLM
...
	...
	...
AMPL - AMPLITUDE IN METERS FROM MIDDLE TO CREST
Remarks

Sample Message - 1
Sample Message - 2
Sample Message - 3
Sample Message - 4
Sample Message - 5
Sample Message - 6

(1) Heading
The message heading of on the GTS circuit. DDhhmm represents the day, hour and minute in UTC.

(2) Bulletin Number
NNN is the bulletin number which increases with subsequent issues. hhmm, DD, MMM and YYYY represent the hour, minute,day, month and year of the issuance time in UTC. If the NWPTA message is long, it may be divided into several parts. nn represents the current part, and NN is the total number of separate parts in the advisory. If the massage is not divided, both nn and NN will be 01.

(3) Hypocentral Parameters
hhmm, DD, MMM and YYYY represent the hour, minute, day, month and year of the origin time of the earthquake in UTC. LL.L and LLL.L represent the latitude and longitude of the epicenter, respectively. For the latitude, either NORTH or SOUTH is added, while the longitude is always EAST. Geographical Area is the region of the epicenter according to Flinn-Engdahl regionalization*. M.M is the magnitude of the earthquake. If the magnitude is Mjma, (MJMA) will be added. The focal depth will be included only for values of 100 km or deeper. If parameters are revised in subsequent messages, (REVISION) will be added to the first line of this part (see Sample Message 5).

*See http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/topics/flinn_engdahl.php

(4) Tsunamigenic Potential
Tsunamigenic Potential in accordance with the magnitude of the earthquake.

(5) Coastal Blocks
If a tsunami of 0.5 m or greater is expected for any forecast point (FP), the Coastal Blocks of these FPs will be shown in this part. If the estimated tsunami amplitudes for all FPs are less than 0.5 m, the message "ESTIMATION AT THE FORECAST POINTS - NO TSUNAMI WITH AMPLITUDE OF 0.5 METER OR OVER ARE EXPECTED AT ANY OF THEM" will be shown. (ADDITION), (REVISION), or (CANCELLATION) will be added according to the revision of (6) below in subsequent issues in line with updated earthquake parameters or observation of unexpectedly significant tsunamis (see Sample Message 5).

(6) Forecast Amplitude and Arrival Time
The estimated tsunami amplitude (AMPL in meters) and arrival time (hhmm DD MMM in UTC) are listed for each FP in Coastal Block groups. If the expected tsunami height is less than 0.5 m for all FPs, this part will not appear in the message. If it is found that new FPs should be added or the expected arrival time/amplitude of a tsunami should be changed in a revised issue in line with updated earthquake parameters or observation of an unexpectedly significant tsunami, (ADDITION) or (REVISION) will be added to the line for the FPs concerned. For FPs that appeared in a previous NWPTA message but should be removed due to revision, (CANCELLATION) will be added to the revised issue (see Sample Message 5).

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