DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami)
NZ DART Network Data
The New Zealand Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting on Tsunami (DART) network is distributed across the southwestern Pacific Ocean to support detection and analysis of potential tsunami in the Pacific, with a specific focus on the Hikurangi, Kermadec, Tonga, and Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides) trenches. This dataset is a unique and important dataset for tsunami monitoring and research. The twelve DART sensors deployed currently help us monitor tsunami by recording pressure created by the water column above the sensor and detecting anomalously high or low changes in that pressure as waves move through the water column. Each DART sensor consists of an ocean bottom pressure recorder (BPR) which record the pressure of the water above the sensor on the seafloor and surface buoys which transmit that data via satellite transmission to GNS Science and on to global and regional monitoring partners. The data helps scientists provide advice on whether a tsunami has been generated or not, and more accurately estimate how big the waves could be if they reach our coast and when they might reach us. You can read more about the tsunami monitoring and detection network here and about tsunami more generally here.
Understanding the Data
Data from DART sensors have two monitoring modes and are sampled every 15 seconds. During normal monitoring, when the BPR hasn’t detected a tsunami wave, a packet of data is sent from sea to land every six hours. This data packet consists of a series of observations of water-height at 15 minute intervals. When a tsunami wave travels over the BPR, the change in pressure is detected and the affected DART enters ‘event mode’ and sends data packets for up to the next three hours containing 15 second sampled data. DARTs can also be triggered manually by the National Geohazards Monitoring Centre (NGMC) / Te Puna Mōrearea i te Rū.
The sampling rates are represented on the graph with different coloured lines and are referred to in the legend. The legend is shown above in the time series graph in the following format: “Monitoring - 15m” indicating when sea conditions are normal and “Event Mode - 15s" indicating when a sensor has been triggered. To see the continuous BPR data which is collected following a maintenance voyage please use the Tilde Data Exploration Tool.
* A DART station is treated as being not currently operational if it has not transmitted data in the last 5 days. In the majority of cases the BPR is still recording data and this will be available following the maintenance voyage. All water height data that has been received from the network is available here. If you'd like more information as to why these sites are marked as non-operational please contact info@geonet.org.nz.
Helpful Links
Explore & Download More Data - Tilde Data Exploration Tool
If you want to download data or explore more DART or other data types, try our Data Exploration Tool.
GNS Science DART Dataset Catalogue
For DART Network and Dataset Metadata information and DOI's for citations.
DART Network Data Tutorials
Data tutorials written in python demonstrating how to access and use raw and detided DART data through Tilde.
DART Automatic Trigger Catalogue
A catalogue of automatic triggers detected by the DART Network.
About - The NZ DART Network
Learn about how the NZ DART network monitors changes in sea level.