are still far off shore. Each station consists of a sea-bed bottom pressure recorder (at a depth of 1000–6000 m) which detects the passage of a tsunami and transmits the data to a surface buoy via acoustic modem. The surface buoy then radios the information to the PTWC via the GOES satellite system. The bottom pressure recorder lasts for two years while the surface buoy is replaced every year. The system has considerably improved the forecasting and warning of tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean. Final transmission Local populations in the United States of America receive tsunami information through radio and television receivers connected to the Emergency Alert System, and in some places (such as Hawaii) civil defense sirens and roving loudspeaker broadcasts from police vehicles. The public can subscribe to the RSS feed or email alerts from the PTWC web site, and the UNESCO site. Email and text messages are also available from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service which includes tsunami alerts. References External links US Tsunami Warning System National Tsunami Warning Center Northwest Pacific Tsunami Advisory DART How the US Tsunami Warning System works Warning systems Tsunami Earthquake and seismic risk mitigation Seismological observatories, organisations and projects Disaster preparedness in the United States Disaster preparedness in Oceania 1949 establishments in Hawaii