The Costa Rican Pacific is the scenario for the development of the course Tides and sea level: stations, operations and products, with the participation of 41 representatives from Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba and the United States.
Its objective, within the framework of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development, is for maritime, hydrographic and oceanographic personnel who work with sea level and tide gauges to improve their capabilities in this area, and thus increase sea level measurements as a reference for climate change, storm formation and tsunamis, among others.
Costa Rica has three tide gauges administered by the National Tsunami Monitoring System (Sinamot-UNA): one in Limón operating since 1957, another one in Quepos since 1941 and the third one in Cocos Island since 2018. In Puntarenas there was one from 1940 until 2003. According to Silvia Chacón, coordinator of Sinamot-UNA, it is expected to have more tide gauges in the coming years to install them in other coastal areas and have more and better observations. “Costa Rica’s tide gauges have measured 27 tsunamis from 1941 to 2022, and these measurements are of great importance for the validation of tsunami models, among others”.
The course will be held from November 13 to 17 at the Punta Leona Hotel and is organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO), the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through its Central American branch COCATRAM (Central American Commission for Maritime Transport), the Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States of America (NOAA), the School of Topography, Cadastre and Geodesy of the UNA, and the Sinamot-UNA Program with the support of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT).
Fuente: UNA Comunica