First step in  oceanic environment evaluation is to collect and monitor physical parameters, like sea temperature, waves heave and direction, current speed  and so on. Many real-time, climatical buoy networks were implemented in the last 10 years as well as deep ocean seafloor observatories.

Why are not tsunamis seen at sea or from the air?

In the deep ocean, tsunami wave amplitude is usually less than 1 m (3.3 feet).  The crests of tsunami waves may be more than a hundred kilometers or more away from each other.  Therefore, passengers on boats at sea, far away from shore where the water is deep, will not feel nor see the tsunami waves as they pass by underneath at high speeds.  The tsunami may be perceived as nothing more than a gentle rise and fall of the sea surface.  The Great Sanriku tsunami, which struck Honshu, Japan, on June 15, 1896, was completely undetected by fishermen twenty miles out to sea.  The deep-water height of this tsunami was only about 40 centimeters when it passed them and yet, when it arrived on the shore, it had transformed into huge waves that killed 28,000 people, destroyed the port of Sanriku and villages along 275 km of coastline.  For the same reason of low amplitude and very long periods in the deep ocean, tsunami waves cannot be seen nor detected from the air.   From the sky, tsunami waves cannot be distinguished from ordinary ocean waves.

How to detect Tsunamis

To know more about our  project, please read before following papers: "Deep-Ocean Bottom Pressure Measurements in the Northeast Pacific - M. C. Eble and F. I. Gonzalez", about similar system (PDF 1.4 Mb) and "Broadband Vibrating Quartz Pressure Sensors for Tsunameter and Other Oceanographic Applications" -  Mustafa Yilmaz, Paul Migliaccio, Eddie Bernard (PDF 263 Kb). Then find Envirtech solution

Towards a Tsunami Warning System in the Indian Ocean from Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. This site, launched on Tuesday 10 February 2005, is intended to keep you informed about the progress in developing a Regional Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System for the Indian Ocean

The PMEL Tsunami Program seeks to mitigate tsunami hazards to Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. Research and development activities focus on improved tsunami inundation maps, other hazard assessment tools, and advanced technology to increase the speed and accuracy of tsunami forecasts and warnings.

The TAO/TRITON array is a major component of the Global Climate Observation System, designed to improve detection, understanding, and prediction of El Niño.

The Drifting Buoy Data Assembly Center. The primary goal of this project is to assemble and provide uniform quality control of sea surface temperature (SST) and surface velocity measurements.

In the Mexico Gulf is located the Texas Automated Buoy System capable of real time Oceanographic Data collecting supporting Oil Spill prevention and Response.

Along the Italian coasts,  look for the  Sea Wave Network, at present, the leading governmental real time network in the Mediterranean Sea.

NDBC  develops, operates, and maintains a network of buoy and Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations.

Here is the UK buoy network from the National Weather Center, Florida State University.

At Envirtech, we  plan,  build and deploy any kind of  oceanographic sensors networks. We are able to implement  HF, VHF and UHF radio links,satellite  communication networks as well as subwater acoustic and very Low Frequencies  transmissions as requested in the new emerging Seafloor Observatory Science.

Starting 1999, Envirtech manages and maintains the Italian sea waves measurment network (RON) based on 14 Triaxys buoys moored along the italian costs - In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea -

After the eruction in Stromboli, on December 2002,  Tsunami waves propagated fast  to all south italian coastal regions on the Tyrrhenian sea.At present, in the Mediterranean sea,   there are no devices able to detect this kind of very long period waves. To avoid coastal population be imprepared for future more disastrous Tsunami events, Envirtech designed an integrated submerged sensor and supporting buoy network (PDF 336Kb)  able to detect Tsunami waves and raising  prompt alarm for population using wireless reliable alert systems. As known Tsunamis were responsible, in the past,  of many disasters also in the Mediterranean Sea. 
Locally generated Tsunami may reach a nearby shore in less than ten minutes.  There is not sufficient time for the network and, consequently,  for local authorities to issue a warning.  For people living near the coast, the shaking of the ground is a warning that a tsunami may be imminent.  For tsunamis originating from more distant sources, however, it is possible to determine when they might arrive and provide accurate warnings.  Because of the high speed of Tsunami in deep sea (800 Km/h),  we are presently working to  raise an alarm at least 60 minutes before the waves can reach the coast.