Abstract
An anchored marine seismometer, acquiring real-time seismic data, has been built and tested. The system consists of an underwater seismometer, a surface buoy, and a mooring line that connects them. Inductive communication through the mooring line provides an inexpensive, reliable, and flexible solution. Prior to the deployment the dynamics of the system have been simulated numerically in order to find optimal materials, cables, buoys, and connections under critical marine conditions. The seismometer used is a high sensitivity triaxial broadband geophone able to measure low vibrational signals produced by the underwater seismic events. The power to operate the surface buoy is provided by solar panels. Additional batteries are needed for the underwater unit. In this paper we also present the first results and an earthquake detection of a prototype system that demonstrates the feasibility of this concept. The seismometer transmits continuous data at a rate of 1000 bps to a controller equipped with a radio link in the surface buoy. A GPS receiver on the surface buoy has been configured to perform accurate timestamps on the seismic data, which makes it possible to integrate the seismic data from these marine seismometers into the existing seismic network.
Highlights
Variations in real-time seismicity provide knowledge of the state of local and regional stresses in the short and medium term, essential information to study the potential seismic risk that may affect infrastructures and population located in the area
Recent seismic activity in 2013 on the coast of Vinaròs, or the intense underwater seismic activity associated with the eruption of El Hierro in the archipelago of the Canary Islands (2011–2012), shows the importance of controlling seismic events located in the sea that are not covered by the terrestrial monitoring networks
In this paper we described a new technology of a moored Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs), which can help to meet the long-term goal of telemetered ocean bottom seismic stations
Summary
Variations in real-time seismicity provide knowledge of the state of local and regional stresses in the short and medium term, essential information to study the potential seismic risk that may affect infrastructures and population located in the area. The standalone ocean bottom broadband stations, implementing an acoustic link between the OBS and the surface, are limited by the acoustic communication latency, power consumption, and bandwidth. Within this context, we developed and implemented a new technology for standalone ocean bottom broadband systems.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
