Leading marine scientists from around the world are meeting in Dublin to plan a worldwide system to create underwater observatories that would give warnings against tsunamis, earthquakes and ocean upheavals.
Opening the conference, Professor John Delaney from the University of Washington warned that governments needed to grasp the dangers which countries faced because of lack of understanding of the oceans.
Prof Delaney said that without international co-operation to ascertain more knowledge, the world would face a possible repeat of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster that devastated southeast Asia and the flooding of New Orleans.
The conference, organised by the Marine Institute, continues for two days at Dublin Castle.
