Seafloor Geodetic Observation Research Articles

Representation and interpretation about underwater sound speed gradient field in the GNSS-A observation

SUMMARY The Global Navigation Satellite System—Acoustic ranging combination technique (GNSS-A) is a seafloor geodetic observation technique that achieves an accuracy of centimetres by combining high-rate GNSS data with acoustic ranging. The technique determines the seafloor position by acoustic ranging between the sea surface and multiple seafloor stations, using GNSS data from the sea surface station. Here, the gradient state of the underwater sound speed structure (SSS) is a significant source of error. The open-source software GARPOS can reduce the effect from underwater gradient structures by retrieving the underwater disturbance as a parameter projected onto the sea surface and seafloor. To evaluate the effects of underwater disturbances, a quantitative comparison of the model parameters is necessary. In this study, we developed a representation method to evaluate features of the ocean field. Here, the expression method was described in the order of a formulation and an interpretation in the case of a 2-D cross-section and extension to the case of an actual 3-D field. This method makes it possible to evaluate SSS states in the GNSS-A observations. As an example, we showed the correlation between the anomaly of the expressed ocean state and the anomaly of the seafloor station position, showing that this expression method is an effective index for correcting bias errors. Additionally, we used the data from sites located in the Kuroshio area, a strong current near Japan, to show that the ocean state can be quantitatively interpreted using this expression method.

Experimental verification of seafloor crustal deformation observations by UAV-based GNSS-A

The Global Navigation Satellite System-Acoustic ranging combination technique (GNSS-A) is the only geodetic observation method that can precisely detect absolute horizontal and vertical seafloor crustal deformations at the centimetre scale. GNSS-A has detected many geophysical phenomena and is expected to make great contributions to earthquake disaster prevention science and geodesy. However, current observation methods that use vessels and buoys suffer from high cost or poor real-time performance, which leads to low observation frequency and delays in obtaining and transmitting disaster prevention information. To overcome these problems, a new sea surface platform is needed. Here, we present an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system developed for GNSS-A surveys capable of landing on the sea surface. Submetre-level seafloor positioning is achieved based on real-time single-frequency GNSS data acquired over an actual site. UAV-based GNSS-A allows high-frequency, near real-time deployment, and low-cost seafloor geodetic observations. This system could be deployed to acquire high-frequency observations with centimetre-scale accuracies when using dual-frequency GNSS.

Temporal Change of km‐Scale Underwater Sound Speed Structure and GNSS‐A Positioning Accuracy

AbstractUnderwater disturbances are the largest error source in Global Navigation Satellite System ‐ Acoustic ranging combination technique (GNSS‐A) seafloor geodetic observation. In particular, the gradient of sound speed structure (SSS) directly affects the horizontal accuracy and needs to be examined. Previous studies have not investigated its temporal change component. In this paper, we verified the assumption that the underwater gradient structure does not change significantly during GNSS‐A observation for several hours through applying a modified version of an analysis software called GARPOS to actual data of SGO‐A (provided by Japan Coast Guard). Obtained results suggested that this assumption holds at many observation data, and the positioning accuracy becomes better. Some non‐improved observation epochs were speculated to be accompanied by structure changes for which this assumption was not valid. It is suggested that the SSS change during observation will be an important research topic in GNSS‐A.

Strain Partitioning in the Southern Ryukyu Margin Revealed by Seafloor Geodetic and Seismological Observations

AbstractThe southern Ryukyu subduction zone is one of the potential sources for tsunamigenic earthquakes. Despite a great seismic risk, the deformation pattern remains poorly known, primarily due to the absence of seafloor constraints. With GNSS‐acoustic measurements over years, we characterize the convergence rate across this margin growing from 92 mm/yr offshore eastern Taiwan to 123 mm/yr near the Gagua Ridge. The new data suggest the subduction interface is capable of hosting Mw 7.5–8.4 earthquakes. The orientations of seafloor movement and P‐axes in the Nanao Basin are both subnormal to the trench, notably deviate from the direction of plate convergence. By considering the combined effect of plate convergence and backarc rifting, different trends between the forearc convergence, P‐axes, and seafloor movement may indicate some degree of slip‐partitioning. The trench‐parallel component is likely accommodated in part by earthquakes near Taiwan, lower plate deformation, and strike‐slip faults within the accretionary wedge.

Crustal deformation detection capability of the GNSS-A seafloor geodetic observation array (SGO-A), provided by Japan Coast Guard

The GNSS-A technique is an observation method that can detect seafloor crustal deformations with centimeter-level positioning accuracy. The GNSS-A seafloor geodetic observation array operated by the Japan Coast Guard (SGO-A) has been constructed near the Japanese Islands along the Nankai Trough and the Japan Trench. This observation array has detected several earthquakes’ displacements and episodic slow crustal deformation. To compare the detection results of SGO-A with other observation networks and expand the SGO-A coverage area, it is necessary to correctly understand its detection capability. In this paper, numerical simulations and statistical verifications were used to assess the capabilities of the present GNSS-A system using a manned vessel (observation frequency: 4–6 times/year, positioning accuracy: standard deviation = 1.5 cm) to detect (1) secular deformation only, (2) a transient slip event only and (3) secular deformation and a transient event together. We verified these results with appropriate thresholds and found the following features: When it is known that there is no transient event, the 95% confidence level (CL) for the estimation of secular crustal deformation rate with 4-year observation is about 0.5–0.8 cm/year; when the deformation rate is known, a signal of about 3.0 cm can be detected by observations of about 4 times before and after the transient event. When the deformation rate and the transient event are detected together, to keep the false positive low (about 0.05), the false negative becomes high (about 0.7–0.2 for detecting a signal of 4.5–6.0 cm). The determined rate and event variations are approximately 1.8 cm/year (95%CL) and 1.5 cm (standard deviation), respectively. We also examined the detection capability for higher observation frequency and positioning accuracy, to examine how the detection capability improves by technological advancements in the future. Additionally, we calculated the spatial range of event detectability using the determined values of detection sensitivity. Obtained results show that each seafloor site can detect a slip event of < 1.0 m scale within about 30 km radius, and approximately one-third of the subseafloor slip event over 100 km from land along the Nankai Trough can only be detected by SGO-A.

The deep Shumagin gap filled: Kinematic rupture model and slip budget analysis of the 2020 Mw 7.8 Simeonof earthquake constrained by GNSS, global seismic waveforms, and floating InSAR

On 22 July 2020, the Mw 7.8 Simeonof megathrust earthquake struck offshore of the Alaska Peninsula. This was the largest event since 1917 in the enigmatic area known as the Shumagin seismic gap, a region of transitional plate interface coupling from highly coupled to the east to creeping to the west. Hence, this event provides a rare chance to understand rupture mechanics on such heterogeneously coupled faults. In this study, we examine the rupture process of the 2020 Simeonof earthquake with a combination of static GNSS displacements, InSAR displacements, high-rate GNSS waveforms and tele-seismic waveforms. Due to the discontinuous nature of the deformation field, we use InSAR data for individual islands and tie the displacement field either to GNSS observations or keep these “floating”, i.e. we estimate an ambiguity parameter during the inversion. Our results demonstrated that the rupture process of this event is unidirectional, initiating at the hypocenter and propagating westward for about 130 s with an average rupture velocity of ∼1.9 km/s. The highest slip was centered below the Koniuji Islands and occurred between 20 s to 50 s after the rupture initiation. We find that InSAR observations, especially “floating” data on near-field islands, provide essential constraints for the slip inversion, building confidence in the slipping of the less coupled region. Comparison with an existing and an alternative plate coupling model demonstrated that the remaining slip budget is unlikely to be able to generate a large event at depths from 30 to 40 km, as the Shumagin seismic gap has been mostly filled by the 2020 Simeonof earthquake at those depths. However, both coupling models suggest a substantial slip deficit in shallow near trench regions, suggesting that a significant earthquake can still occur. Seafloor geodetic observations are required to further constrain the near-trench plate coupling.

Imaging the next Cascadia earthquake: optimal design for a seafloor GNSS-A network

SUMMARY The Cascadia subduction zone in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America capable of producing magnitude ∼9 earthquakes, likely often accompanied by tsunamis. An outstanding question in this region is the degree and spatial extent of interseismic strain accumulation on the subduction megathrust. Seafloor geodetic methods combining GNSS and underwater acoustic ranging (GNSS-A) are capable of imaging this strain accumulation on the offshore portion of the subduction zone and therefore anticipating the potential size and rupture pattern of a future earthquake. However, the high cost of seafloor geodesy means that only a limited number of stations may be deployed and monitored. To facilitate expansion of current geodetic networks offshore, we develop a quantitative recommendation of optimal locations for future seafloor geodetic observations, based on the amount of new information provided by that observation. The optimal network depends on the problem that one is trying to solve with those observations (mapping subduction locking rates, coupling rates, constraining total moment rate, etc.), and on a number of modelling and data uncertainty assumptions. In particular, data uncertainty assumptions will change over time, as more position observations reduce velocity uncertainties. We find that near-trench observations on the megathrust hangingwall, distributed along-strike, consistently provide significant reduction in differential entropy over a large suite of assumptions, and that a well-placed seafloor observation can provide up to ∼30 times the information gain of the most optimal onshore observation.

New Megathrust Locking Model for the Southern Kurile Subduction Zone Incorporating Viscoelastic Relaxation and Non‐Uniform Compliance of Upper Plate

AbstractDense Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) observations enable the development of megathrust interseismic locking models for the southern Kurile subduction zone where many great earthquakes have occurred. Inversion of these data assuming uniform elastic Earth has yielded slip deficit rates that are unreasonably high and/or full locking depth that is unreasonably large. Using the finite element method, here we construct a new Kurile locking model that includes interseismic viscoelastic stress relaxation and non‐uniform compliance of the elastic upper plate. Inverting the same geodetic data using the new subduction zone model alleviates the previously seen unreasonable features in inferred megathrust locking state. In the new model, full locking extends to shallower depths than the downdip limit of some large megathrust earthquakes including the 2003 Mw 8.0 Tokachi‐oki earthquake, supporting the notion of the shrinking of the locked area before the earthquakes and/or propagation of seismic rupture into creeping areas as previously predicted by friction or dynamic rupture models. By modeling the effects of a few recent M 8 earthquakes, we show that postseismic transients of recent earthquakes, although second‐order, should be addressed in deriving megathrust locking models. The locking state near the trench cannot be resolved by the land‐based GNSS data regardless of the improved model rheology and structure, although independent observations, such as slow earthquakes, may be used to speculate on the near‐trench locking state in various part of the margin in the absence of seafloor geodetic observations.

Establishment of Regular GNSS-A Seafloor Geodetic Observation Technique and Its Contribution to Seismology

Establishment of Regular GNSS-A Seafloor Geodetic Observation Technique and Its Contribution to Seismology

Detection of Interplate Coupling Condition and Shallow Slow Slip Events along the Nankai Trough Subduction Zone by Sensitive GNSS-A Seafloor Geodetic Observation

Detection of Interplate Coupling Condition and Shallow Slow Slip Events along the Nankai Trough Subduction Zone by Sensitive GNSS-A Seafloor Geodetic Observation

Seafloor Geodetic Observations Decipher the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake

Seafloor Geodetic Observations Decipher the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake

Current Status of Postseismic Deformation Following the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake

Postseismic deformation following the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake has been observed by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Earth Observation Network System (GEONET) and the Seafloor Geodetic Observation (SGO) over the past six and half years. Observed deformation at onshore sites exceeds 140 cm horizontally, there is uplift of 50 cm, and deformation tends eastward. However, offshore sites reveal complex patterns ranging from near-zero deformation in the northern part of Iwate-Oki, to westward in the southern part of Iwate-Oki, Miyagi-Oki, and the northern part of Fukushima-Oki regions, and eastward in the southern part of Fukushima-Oki and Ibaraki-Oki regions, respectively. The vertical deformation pattern is more complex than the horizontal. Offshore sites demonstrate subsidence but a large uplift is observed onshore along the Pacific coast. Subsidence is only observed along the Pacific coast in the northern part of Iwate, where there are variations in uplift or subsidence patterns. Many previous 2011 Tohoku-Oki event studies have used a primary model that considers only the afterslip effect. However, westward displacements observed by the SGO highlight the importance of viscoelastic relaxation, even during short-term deformation. It is thus considered that studies on postseismic deformation following the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake should adopt a combined afterslip and viscoelastic model. Postseismic deformation following this event is estimated to continue for more than a few decades; therefore, assessing this effect is crucial for interpreting crustal deformation in Japan. Information on the status of interplate coupling or slip is also vital when assessing earthquake occurrence probability. The continued observation of postseismic deformation and careful monitoring of temporal and spatial changes in interplate coupling or slip will mitigate hazards from successive large megathrust earthquakes and improve understanding of crustal activity in Japan.

Detection of Seafloor Movement in Subduction Zones Around Japan Using a GNSS-A Seafloor Geodetic Observation System from 2013 to 2016

In Japan, interplate megathrust earthquakes frequently occur in subduction zones where oceanic plates subduct beneath continental plates, and it is important to elucidate the physical mechanism involved in such earthquakes to prevent associated disasters. Crustal movement data provide essential information to understand plate motion and earthquake source processes. We developed a system that combines GNSS measurements and acoustic ranging techniques to detect seafloor crustal movement. This paper reports the acquisition of recent seafloor crustal movements obtained during campaign observations with a survey vessel, from 2013 to 2016.

Tsunami Scenarios Based on Interseismic Models Along the Nankai Trough, Japan, From Seafloor and Onshore Geodesy

AbstractThe recent availability of Global Positioning System‐Acoustic seafloor geodetic observations enables us to resolve the spatial distribution of the slip deficit rate near the Nankai trough, southwestern Japan. Considering a tectonic block model and the transient deformation due to the major earthquakes in this area, the slip deficit rate between the two relevant blocks can be estimated. In this study, we remove the time‐dependent postseismic deformation of the 2004 southeastern off the Kii Peninsula earthquakes (MJMA 7.1, 7.4), which had led to the underestimation of the slip deficit rate in earlier studies. We model the postearthquake viscoelastic relaxation using the 3D finite element model with bi‐viscous Burgers rheology, as well as the afterslip on the finite faults. The corrected Global Positioning System‐Acoustic and land‐based Global Navigation Satellite Systems data are aligned to the existing tectonic model and used to estimate the slip deficit rate on the plate boundary. We then calculate the coseismic displacements and tsunami wave propagation with the simple assumption that a hundred years of constant slip deficit accumulation was released instantaneously. To evaluate the influence of uncertainties in the plate interface geometry on a tsunami model for the Nankai trough, we investigated two different geometries and performed checkerboard inversion simulations. Although the two models indicate roughly similar results, the peak height of the tsunami wave and its arrival time at several points are significantly different in terms of the expected hazard.

An Investigation of the Accuracy of Coulomb Stress Changes Inferred From Geodetic Observations Following Subduction Zone Earthquakes

AbstractEarthquake clustering along plate boundaries suggests that earthquakes may interact, and static Coulomb stress change (CSC) is commonly invoked as one possible mechanism for stress transfer between earthquakes and nearby faults. Previous work has addressed the precision of CSC predictions that are influenced by observational noise, inversion regularization, and simplified modeling assumptions. Here we address the accuracy of CSC predictions informed by geodetic observations in subduction zones where inversion model resolution is poor. We conduct synthetic tests to quantify the degree to which the sign and magnitude of CSC can be reliably inferred from slip distributions inverted from various geodetic observations (interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), GPS, and seafloor observations). We find that in an idealized subduction zone, CSC can only be confidently inferred for receiver faults far (tens of kilometers) from the earthquake source, though this distance shortens with the addition of synthetic seafloor observations. We apply this methodology to the 2010 Mw8.8 Maule earthquake and identify 13 aftershocks from a population of 475 documented events for which we can confidently resolve coseismic stress changes. These results demonstrate that the low model resolution of fault slip inversions in subduction zones limits our ability to address fundamental questions about earthquake sources and stress interactions. Nonetheless, our results highlight that stress change predictions are considerably more accurate after the introduction of seafloor geodetic observations. Additionally, we show that InSAR observations are not required to substantially improve stress change approximations in regions where GPS may be the only viable observation, such as in island arcs settings.

Interplate locking condition derived from seafloor geodetic observation in the shallowest subduction segment at the Central Nankai Trough, Japan

AbstractWe monitored seafloor crustal deformation at two observation stations on opposite sides of the Nankai Trough from 2013 to 2016 in order to investigate the interplate locking condition along the Central Nankai Trough. We estimated the seafloor crustal deformation with respect to the Amurian Plate based on five observations. The results for two stations, TCA and TOA, were 38±25 mm/yr toward N78°W and 57±21 mm/yr toward N69°W (1σ), respectively. The displacement rate at TOA is consistent with the motion of the Philippine Sea Plate with respect to the Amurian Plate using the Euler vector of the REVEL model. The displacement rate at TCA is similar to that at other seafloor geodetic stations, e.g., 48±10 mm/yr at KUM2 station, on the Kumano Basin. The interplate coupling rate was estimated to be roughly 70±40% (1σ) in the shallowest segment of the Nankai Trough.

Coseismic seafloor deformation in the trench region during the Mw8.8 Maule megathrust earthquake

The Mw 8.8 megathrust earthquake that occurred on 27 February 2010 offshore the Maule region of central Chile triggered a destructive tsunami. Whether the earthquake rupture extended to the shallow part of the plate boundary near the trench remains controversial. The up-dip limit of rupture during large subduction zone earthquakes has important implications for tsunami generation and for the rheological behavior of the sedimentary prism in accretionary margins. However, in general, the slip models derived from tsunami wave modeling and seismological data are poorly constrained by direct seafloor geodetic observations. We difference swath bathymetric data acquired across the trench in 2008, 2011 and 2012 and find ~3–5 m of uplift of the seafloor landward of the deformation front, at the eastern edge of the trench. Modeling suggests this is compatible with slip extending seaward, at least, to within ~6 km of the deformation front. After the Mw 9.0 Tohoku-oki earthquake, this result for the Maule earthquake represents only the second time that repeated bathymetric data has been used to detect the deformation following megathrust earthquakes, providing methodological guidelines for this relatively inexpensive way of obtaining seafloor geodetic data across subduction zone.

Seafloor geodetic constraints on interplate coupling of the Nankai Trough megathrust zone

Interplate megathrust earthquakes have inflicted catastrophic damage on human society. Such an earthquake is predicted to occur in the near future along the Nankai Trough off southwestern Japan--an economically active and densely populated area in which megathrust earthquakes have already occurred. Megathrust earthquakes are the result of a plate-subduction mechanism and occur at slip-deficit regions (also known as 'coupling' regions), where friction prevents plates from slipping against each other and the accumulated energy is eventually released forcefully. Many studies have attempted to capture distributions of slip-deficit rates (SDRs) in order to predict earthquakes. However, these studies could not obtain a complete view of the earthquake source region, because they had no seafloor geodetic data. The Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard (JHOD) has been developing a precise and sustainable seafloor geodetic observation network in this subduction zone to obtain information related to offshore SDRs. Here, we present seafloor geodetic observation data and an offshore interplate SDR-distribution model. Our data suggest that most offshore regions in this subduction zone have positive SDRs. Specifically, our observations indicate previously unknown regions of high SDR that will be important for tsunami disaster mitigation, and regions of low SDR that are consistent with distributions of shallow slow earthquakes and subducting seamounts. This is the first direct evidence that coupling conditions might be related to these seismological and geological phenomena. Our findings provide information for inferring megathrust earthquake scenarios and interpreting research on the Nankai Trough subduction zone.

Stress‐driven relaxation of heterogeneous upper mantle and time‐dependent afterslip following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

AbstractUnderstanding of postseismic deformation following great subduction zone earthquakes is complicated by the combined effects of viscoelastic relaxation of earthquake‐induced stresses in the upper mantle and time‐dependent afterslip on the megathrust. We integrate geodetic observations and constraints on afterslip from small repeating earthquakes on the megathrust to better distinguish contributions from these two postseismic processes. We have developed a three‐dimensional, spherical viscoelastic finite element model to study the postseismic deformation of the 2011 Mw9.0 Tohoku earthquake that has been recorded at unprecedented high resolution in space and time. We model stress‐driven afterslip in a 2 km thick weak shear zone away from historic rupture zones on the megathrust. We model both the viscoelastic relaxation of the upper mantle and shear zone deformation with a transient Burgers body rheology. The transient Kelvin viscosity is assumed to be one order of magnitude lower than that of the Maxwell viscosity. Viscoelastic relaxation of the mantle wedge alone causes postseismic uplift and seaward motion in the upper plate, opposite to the pattern from relaxation of just the oceanic upper mantle. Afterslip on the fault produces uplift updip of the afterslip zone and subsidence over its downdip edge and mostly seaward motion above the afterslip zone. The best fit Maxwell viscosity of the shear zone at depths ≤50 km is 1017 Pa s, constrained by afterslip estimates from repeating earthquakes. The optimal viscosities of the deep weak shear zone, continental mantle wedge, and oceanic upper mantle are determined to be 5 × 1017 Pa s, 3 × 1019 Pa s, and 5 × 1019 Pa s, respectively. The stress‐driven afterslip in the shear zone is up to ~3.5 m in the first 2 years after the earthquake, equivalent to an Mw8.4. Our model reproduces the first‐order pattern of the GPS observations both in horizontal and in vertical directions. Seafloor geodetic observations of subsidence and landward motions near the high‐slip zone of the earthquake provide evidence for a low‐viscosity asthenosphere below the oceanic lithosphere.

Heterogeneous interplate coupling along the Nankai Trough, Japan, detected by GPS-acoustic seafloor geodetic observation

The recurring devastating earthquake that occurs in the Nankai Trough subduction zone between the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate has the potential to cause an extremely dangerous natural disaster in the foreseeable future. Many previous studies have assumed interplate-coupling ratios for this region along the trench axis using onshore geodetic data in order to understand this recursive event. However, the offshore region that has the potential to drive a devastating tsunami cannot be resolved sufficiently because the observation network is biased to the land area. Therefore, the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of Japan constructed a geodetic observation network on the seafloor along the Nankai Trough using a GPS-acoustic combination technique and has used it to observe seafloor crustal movements directly above the Nankai Trough subduction zone. We have set six seafloor sites and cumulated enough data to determine the displacement rate from 2006 to January 2011. Our seafloor geodetic observations at these sites revealed a heterogeneous interplate coupling that has three particular features. The fast displacement rates observed in the easternmost area indicate strong interplate coupling (>75%) around not only the future Tokai earthquake source region but also the Paleo-Zenisu ridge. The slow displacement rates near the trench axis in the Kumano-nada Sea, a shallow part of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake source region, show a lower coupling ratio (50% to 75%). The slow displacement rate observed in the area shallower than the 1946 Nankaido earthquake source region off Cape Muroto-zaki reflects weakening interplate coupling (about 50%) probably due to a subducting seamount. Our observations above the subducting ridge and seamount indicate that the effect of a subducting seamount on an interplate-coupling region depends on various conditions such as the geometry of the seamount and the friction parameters on the plate boundary.