24 years after Nisqually quake, funding cuts put WA seismic monitoring at risk
Federal layoffs from the Trump administration are raising concerns about the future of earthquake detection systems.
The funding cuts are already affecting seismic research and early warning systems in Washington state.
SEATTLE, Wash. - As Washington marks the 24th anniversary of the devastating Nisqually earthquake, looming federal layoffs are raising concerns about the future of earthquake detection systems.
The backstory
On February 28, 2001, the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake struck the Puget Sound region, causing widespread damage and injuring hundreds. The quake remains the costliest seismic event in the U.S. since California's 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The disaster became a catalyst for technological advancements like the ShakeAlert system, an early warning system that detects earthquakes and alerts residents before shaking reaches their location.
Harold Tobin, a Washington state seismologist, says the quake was a big part of the motivation to expand the seismic network.
"Now we operate a much bigger, much more sophisticated monitoring system for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions than we did back in 2001," Tobin said.
The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN), based at the University of Washington, has been at the forefront of earthquake monitoring for decades.
"We have seismic stations, seismometers running all over Washington and Oregon, and for this part of the country, we are the sort of authoritative network that detects earthquakes," Tobin said.
Operating 24/7, the PNSN monitors earthquakes and seismic activity in the region's volcanoes, including Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. The network also plays a key role in ShakeAlert, an earthquake early warning system developed in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
"That's the system that we can give people, you know, seconds to even up to a minute of advanced warning when shaking is starting by cell phone message, kind of like an Amber Alert," Tobin said. "When you hear about a magnitude three point whatever, at a certain location — that's us doing that work."
The importance of their work was most recently noted this week with the detection of a series of small earthquakes in the region, including Bremerton on Thursday morning. But now, its future could be uncertain due to potential federal funding cuts affecting seismic research and early warning systems.
Local perspective
Despite these advancements, the future of earthquake monitoring is now uncertain. The Trump administration has laid off hundreds of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees nationwide, with as many as 880 jobs potentially on the chopping block. Washington is home to approximately 700 of NOAA's 12,000 employees, according to Senator Patty Murray's office.
"It will be felt across the country," said Rick Spinrad, former NOAA Administrator. "It's not just the immediate weather products. It's the seasonal outlooks. Farmers are looking to have NOAA precipitation outlooks to make decisions right now about their spring planting season."
Tobin says the impacts have been felt within the USGS in just the last few days as employees have lost their ability to travel; a necessity to keep field stations up and running. Work he says is critical to give people the awareness and early warnings for things like earthquakes.
"Our whole systems for understanding and getting warnings about natural hazards—tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides—are coordinated by more than one government agency," Tobin said. "NOAA and the USGS in particular are really important to those activities. They fund our work here at the PNSN and make it possible for us to do the work that we do."
The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) relies on federal grants to maintain its earthquake monitoring systems, and Tobin fears funding cuts could trickle down to impact their operations.
"We're not part of the federal government, but we're working with them. And they fund our work here at the PNSN," Tobin said. "If there's any interruption, it won't take very long before it becomes a really major budget problem."
Big picture view
The uncertainty surrounding funding doesn't just affect researchers—it also threatens the education and training of the next generation of seismologists.
"We are training students all the time to be the next generation of scientists, to work on this kind of stuff," Tobin said. "I have graduate students, I have postdoctoral researchers, I have undergraduates all working on things related to keeping the seismic network going. Most of that work is funded by the federal government to UW, and so that's what's at risk."
Washington sits on a seismically active region, making earthquake detection and warning systems critical for public safety.
"Everybody understands that's a priority," Tobin said. "It's just a matter of, do we have the resources so that we can keep doing that going into the future."
NOAA also plays a key role in tsunami warning systems, GPS services, space weather monitoring, and supporting the fishing, farming, and aviation industries. More than 550 businesses and organizations have signed a coalition letter to Congress, urging lawmakers to halt the dismantling of the agency.
"We fought every year to get additional people. If anything, the agency needs more highly qualified employees, not less," Spinard said.
The Source
Information in this story is from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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