Taiwan’s earthquake early warning system will soon experience a significant boost to its monitoring and forecasting capability. New technology will be able to send alert messages more quickly after an earthquake is detected by seismometers, giving warning to residents of an island that is highly susceptible to destructive tremors.
The construction of submarine electric cables will also help the island to better monitor deep sea plate movement, with 580km of new undersea cables due for completion next year. Taiwan sits on the western edge of the Philippine Sea Plate, part of the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.
The current response time for the island’s alarm system operated by the Central Weather Bureau is 15 to 16 seconds. The bureau has land-based stations and undersea cables to detect earthquakes. It is also improving the facilities of earthquake detection stations and updating related software.