It takes 10 minutes to 20 minutes from the time a seabed earthquake happens for a tsunami to hit the coast.
"The difference in time is really important because the challenge is to warn people away from the coastline within minutes," Zschau said. "If you have the information this soon after the earthquake hits, you could get the information to hotels and villages and avert a potential disaster."
Ultimately, the researchers said, common sense could prove as important in the rush to save lives as sophisticated technology.
"There are very simple things which we need to convey to the population in risk areas -- for example that shortly before the tsunami strikes, the ocean recedes, and that this is the moment to run," Lauterjung said.
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