Secondary Microseisms Research Articles

How Processing Methodologies Can Distort and Bias Power Spectral Density Estimates of Seismic Background Noise

AbstractPower spectral density (PSD) estimates are widely used in seismological studies to characterize background noise conditions, assess instrument performance, and study quasi-stationary signals that are difficult to observe in the time domain. However, these studies often utilize different processing techniques, each of which can inherently bias the resulting PSD estimates. The level of smoothing, the size of the data window, and the method used for actually estimating the spectral content can all have strong influences on PSD estimates and background noise statistics. We show that although smoothing reduces the variance of the PSD estimate, the corresponding decrease in frequency resolution can eliminate or distort features of interest. For instance, popular software packages such as Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Modular Utility for STAatistical kNowledge Gathering (MUSTANG) and earlier versions of Portable Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere Quick Look eXtended (PQLX), which were designed for data quality control and are effective in that regard, are less suitable for scientific studies that require accurate resolution of spectral peaks, even for peaks as broad as the primary (∼14 s period) and secondary (∼7 s period) microseisms. We also demonstrate how the 1 and 3 hr data windows used in MUSTANG and PQLX can be strongly influenced by energy generated from moderate-size (M>∼4.8) teleseismic earthquakes. The ubiquity of these events is likely skewing median ambient-noise estimates by as much as 5 dB upward, for periods of 10–50 s at high-quality broadband stations. Finally, we illustrate that many of the discrepancies between global low-noise models are attributable to processing methodologies rather than fundamental differences in the underlying seismic data.

Assessing swells in La Réunion Island from terrestrial seismic observations, oceanographic records and offshore wave models

SUMMARY La Réunion Island in the southwest Indian Ocean is seasonally affected by austral swells among which some extreme events may have strong impacts on coastal infrastructures. The very limited number of sensors available on and around the island and in the whole SW Indian Ocean impedes any direct monitoring of the swell activity. In this study, we analyse direct observations of the ocean swell by combining terrestrial measurements of the microseismic noise with in situ oceanographic observations issued from two pressure gauges and an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), together with swell numerical modelling. The reliability of the terrestrial seismic station to characterize the ocean activity in both the primary and secondary microseisms peaks (PM and SM, respectively), and also in the long period secondary microseismic peak (LPSM) for the case of La Réunion Island is presented and discussed here. By computing the hourly RMS of the PM and LP(SM) amplitudes, we establish a transfer function between the PM and (LP)SM amplitude and the maximum wave height, which appears to be valid for any PM and LPSM amplitudes >0.15 μm and >1.0 μm, respectively. The correlation coefficient between the PM amplitude and the wave height is >0.92. It suggests that the PM amplitude can be used as a robust proxy for the swell height and may help calibrating the wave heights from other independent observable. For some swell events, we observe LPSM that correlate well (>0.91) with the local wave height suggesting a generation by coastal swell reflection. From polarization and spectral analyses, directions and periods of swells are also well retrieved from seismic data. Finally, continuous measure of the SM amplitude shows that it can be used as precursor information for distant swells that may hit La Réunion Island a few days after their generation in the southern Indian Ocean.

A Feasibility Study on Monitoring Crustal Structure Variations by Direct Comparison of Surface Wave Dispersion Curves from Ambient Seismic Noise

This work assesses the feasibility of the direct use of surface-wave dispersion curves from seismic ambient noise to gain insight into the crustal structure of Bransfield Strait and detect seasonal seismic velocity changes. We cross-correlated four years of vertical component ambient noise data recorded by a seismic array in West Antarctica. To estimate fundamental mode Rayleigh wave Green’s functions, the correlations are computed in 4-hr segments, stacked over 1-year time windows and moving windows of 3 months. Rayleigh wave group dispersion curves are then measured on two spectral bands—primary (10–30 s) and secondary (5–10 s) microseisms—using frequency-time analysis. We analyze the temporal evolution of seismic velocity by comparing dispersion curves for the successive annual and 3-month correlation stacks. Our main assumption was that the Green’s functions from the cross-correlations, and thus the dispersion curves, remain invariant if the crustal structure remains unchanged. Maximum amplitudes of secondary microseisms were observed during local winter when the Southern Ocean experiences winter storms. The Rayleigh wave group velocity ranges between 2.1 and 3.7 km/s, considering our period range studied. Interannual velocity variations are not much evident. We observe a slight velocity decrease in summer and increase in winter, which could be attributed to the pressure melting of ice and an increase in ice mass, respectively. The velocity anomalies observed within the crust and upper mantle structure correlate with the major crustal and upper mantle features known from previous studies in the area. Our results demonstrate that the direct comparison of surface wave dispersion curves extracted from ambient noise might be a useful tool in monitoring crustal structure variations.

Impacts of the Cryosphere and Atmosphere on Observed Microseisms Generated in the Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean (in the region 60–180° E) south of the Indian Ocean, Australia, and the West Pacific is noted for the frequent occurrence and severity of its storms. These storms give rise to high‐amplitude secondary microseisms from sources, including the deep ocean regions, and primary microseisms where the swells impinge on submarine topographic features. A better understanding of the varying microseism wavefield enables improvements to seismic imaging and development of proxy observables to complement sparse in situ wave observations and hindcast models of the global ocean wave climate. We analyze 12–26 years of seismic data from 11 seismic stations either on the East Antarctic coast or sited in the Indian Ocean, Australia, and New Zealand. The power spectral density of the seismic wavefield is calculated to explore how the time‐changing microseism intensity varies with (i) sea ice coverage surrounding Antarctica and (ii) the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) climate index. Variations in sea ice extent are found to be the dominant control on the microseism intensity at Antarctic stations, which exhibit a seasonal pattern phase‐shifted by 4–5 months compared to stations in other continents. Peaks in extremal intensity at East Antarctic stations occur in March–April, with the highest peaks for secondary microseisms occurring during negative SAM events. This relationship between microseism intensity and the SAM index is opposite to that observed on the Antarctic Peninsula. This work informs the complexity of microseism amplitudes in the Southern Hemisphere and assists ongoing interdisciplinary investigations of interannual variability and long‐term trends.

Appraisal of seismic noise scenario at national seismological network of India in COVID-19 lockdown situation

We evaluated seismic background noise at national network in India using PSD, Fourier spectra, Spectrogram, and HVSR approach, before and during the nationwide lockdown declared due to COVID-19 pandemic. The analyses were performed to understand characteristics of noise wave-field in such unprecedented situation and its effect on site response at the station. SBN in long period (> 20 s), primary microseism band (10–20 s) and secondary microseisms (1–10 s) performed well and the noise levels found within the new LNM and HNM. However, in short period (< 1 s) the variation in SBN performance found significant before and during the lockdown. We observed that the SBN at each site in short period (< 1 s) is found to be about 10–12 dB noisier in the time segment prior to the lockdown. The HVSR analysis of SBN at recording sites clearly indicates that the predominant frequency for the entire region remains stable and independent of seismic noise generated before or during lockdown. A substantial variation in amplification factor, however, observed in either situation. Most of the stations across the country experienced diminished cultural noise subsequent to declaration of lockdown on 25 March 2020. Such drastic decrease in cultural noise significantly enhanced the performance of noisy stations, and the best recording stations picked the seismic phases originated from micro to small earthquakes. We suggest installation of seismometers at some depth below the surface, particularly at disturbed sites, may substantially reduce short period noise in earthquake recording.

Illuminating seafloor faults and ocean dynamics with dark fiber distributed acoustic sensing.

Distributed fiber-optic sensing technology coupled to existing subsea cables (dark fiber) allows observation of ocean and solid earth phenomena. We used an optical fiber from the cable supporting the Monterey Accelerated Research System during a 4-day maintenance period with a distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) instrument operating onshore, creating a ~10,000-component, 20-kilometer-long seismic array. Recordings of a minor earthquake wavefield identified multiple submarine fault zones. Ambient noise was dominated by shoaling ocean surface waves but also contained observations of in situ secondary microseism generation, post-low-tide bores, storm-induced sediment transport, infragravity waves, and breaking internal waves. DAS amplitudes in the microseism band tracked sea-state dynamics during a storm cycle in the northern Pacific. These observations highlight this method's potential for marine geophysics.

Calibration Analysis and Noise Estimates of WWSSN Station ALQ (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

ABSTRACTWorld-Wide Standardized Seismograph Network (WWSSN) records contain daily calibration pulses that can be used to retrieve the magnification as well as the response of the instrument for a given day record. We analyze a select number of long-period vertical (LPZ) records from WWSSN station ALQ (Albuquerque, New Mexico). Although we find that the response of this instrument varies widely throughout time, we show that in most cases, we are able to estimate a pole-zero response that has a root mean square error of &amp;lt;10%. The variability of responses in historical networks has been reported elsewhere because a large number of adjustments of the galvanometer and seismometer were necessary. Using our derived responses, we estimate noise levels for a number of 1 hr digitized traces. We find that noise levels for the LPZ ALQ records are lower than previously reported, suggesting that these records can resolve smaller amplitude signals than previously suggested. We also find that although care must be taken in the digitization and calibration analysis, we are not limited by noise introduced in the digitization process. Finally, we see that to retrieve the full secondary microseism amplitude, we must use both the LPZ and short-period components because the LPZ component is limited by system noise at periods less than ∼5 s.

Seasonal and spatial variations in the ocean-coupled ambient wavefield of the Ross Ice Shelf

AbstractThe Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) is host to a broadband, multimode seismic wavefield that is excited in response to atmospheric, oceanic and solid Earth source processes. A 34-station broadband seismographic network installed on the RIS from late 2014 through early 2017 produced continuous vibrational observations of Earth's largest ice shelf at both floating and grounded locations. We characterize temporal and spatial variations in broadband ambient wavefield power, with a focus on period bands associated with primary (10–20 s) and secondary (5–10 s) microseism signals, and an oceanic source process near the ice front (0.4–4.0 s). Horizontal component signals on floating stations overwhelmingly reflect oceanic excitations year-round due to near-complete isolation from solid Earth shear waves. The spectrum at all periods is shown to be strongly modulated by the concentration of sea ice near the ice shelf front. Contiguous and extensive sea ice damps ocean wave coupling sufficiently so that wintertime background levels can approach or surpass those of land-sited stations in Antarctica.

Spectral Characteristics of Daily to Seasonal Ground Motion at the Piñon Flats Observatory from Coherence of Seismic Data

AbstractWe investigate coherences of seismic data recorded during three years (2015–2017) at the Piñon Flats Observatory (PY) array and a collocated 148 m deep borehole station B084, along with oceanic data from a buoy southwest of the PY array. Seismic and barometric recordings at PY stations are analyzed with a multitaper spectral technique. The coherence of signals from seismic sources is &gt;0.6 at 0.05–8 Hz between closely spaced (&lt;65 m) surface stations and decreases to ∼0.2 in frequency bands in which the wavelengths are smaller than interstation distances. There are several local coherence increases at 1–8 Hz between nearby (&lt;65 m) surface stations, whereas large coherence values between a surface and 148 m deep borehole stations are only present at the secondary microseism (∼0.14 Hz). These points to significant modification of seismic recordings in the top crust, and those continual near‐surface failures might produce shallow rapidly attenuating signals at surface stations. Incoherent local atmospheric effects induce incoherent seismic signals in low‐ and high‐frequency ranges through different coupling mechanisms. Between 0.003 and 0.05 Hz, atmospheric loadings generate ground tilts that contaminate the two horizontal seismic recordings and decrease their coherence, whereas the vertical component is less affected. At 1–8 Hz, coupling of atmospheric pressure with surface structures transmits incoherent signals into the ground, degrading the seismic coherence in all three components. The two horizontal coherences show seasonal variations with extended coherent frequency bands in winter and spring, likely to be produced by seasonal variations in microseisms and local ground tilts. The coherences also contain high anomalies between 2 and 4 Hz resulting from anthropogenic activities. The results provide useful information on instrument characteristics and variations in the shallow crustal response to earthquakes, seasonal and ambient sources of seismic energy, along with atmospheric pressure–temperature changes and anthropogenic activities.

Crustal imaging of northern Harrat Rahat, Saudi Arabia, from ambient noise tomography

SUMMARYHarrat Rahat is a volcanic field located in west-central Saudi Arabia and is the site of the most recent eruption in the country (1256 CE). An earthquake swarm at a nearby volcanic field in 2009 prompted the need for new hazard models for this region, which includes the holy city of Medina. Tomography studies can be used to infer material properties of the subsurface such as partial melt, and are instrumental for volcanic hazard assessment. Regional earthquakes have been used to determine mantle structure, but such crustal models are often hindered by an insufficient number of earthquakes in the plate interior. We use ambient seismic noise to compute Rayleigh and Love surface-wave dispersion maps between 5 and 12 s for northern Harrat Rahat. The surface-wave maps are inverted to produce shear-wave velocities using a neighbourhood algorithm and interpolated into a pseudo-3-D model. The distributions of surface-wave and shear-wave velocities are heterogenous, varying between ±3 and 8 per cent. However, low velocities are not restricted to the Harrat. We observed a difference between Rayleigh- and Love-wave velocities that extends north from the site of the 1256 CE eruption and coincides with a low gravity anomaly. We obtain a shear-wave velocity increase of 10–15 per cent between 15 and 25 km depth consistent with the Conrad discontinuity, the interface between andesitic upper crust and the mafic lower crust of the Arabian Shield. The average velocities of the upper and lower crust are estimated to be 3.64 and 3.95 km s–1 using Rayleigh waves and 3.53 and 4.16 km s–1 using Love waves, which are in good agreement with the results of other geophysical studies of this area. The magnitude of the low-velocity anomalies, their location away from the Harrat, and the lack of reversals in the shear-velocity inversions suggest that the presence of a crustal magma chamber is not likely. If a magma chamber exists, it is smaller than can be imaged with a secondary microseism source (approximately 15 km wavelength), deeper than 30 km, or shallower than 5 km with a small velocity contrast.

Short Timescale Analysis of Microseisms and Application to Array Calibration

AbstractPrimary and secondary microseisms are analyzed in this study using a novel matched field processing approach that allows for analysis of features with temporal scales of the order of seconds. The majority of previous microseism research employs time averaging; hence, very little is currently known about the properties of the wavefield on such short timescales. We aim to better understand the nature of the microseismic wavefield through applying our novel matched field processing approach to example data from two seismic arrays (USArray and Rio Grande Rift‐Flex Array) in the United States. We find that surface and body wave microseisms on short timescales are observed as pulses of coherent energy, which may be separated in time, embedded in the continuous signal. The pulses display a much larger coherence value in comparison to the commonly employed time averaging approaches, given that they can be separated in time. This allows us to study the spatial correlation of the wavefield and gives an insight into the source and path propagation effects of surface and body waves. We find that the correlation of the short timescale surface wavefield between two stations is dependent on the distance between them and is strongly dependent on their geometric position with respect to the source. Correlations on the PKP wavefield show a decrease with increasing source‐station distance and a mild decrease for azimuthally distributed stations at the same source‐station distance. Finally, we demonstrate how the pulse wavefield can be used for array calibration purposes.

Toward High‐Resolution Period‐Dependent Seismic Monitoring of Tropical Cyclones

AbstractPioneering work in the midtwentieth century laid the foundation for our understanding of secondary microseism generation by tropical cyclones. Yet, tracking their sources and linking them to the mechanisms that generate these signals remain challenging. Here, we successfully retrieve the seismic sources associated with Typhoon Ioke (2006) with an unprecedented 3‐hr resolution and in the entire secondary microseism period band (T= 2–9 s). Our results indicate that the seismic sources follow the tropical cyclone at a constant distance from its center, corresponding to 34‐kt winds. We also assess the link between the generation of the long‐period secondary microseism signals and the increase of the typhoon propagation speed. This accurate location of seismic sources may provide a new data set for imaging the Earth's interior and allow for new insights on the interaction between the atmosphere, the ocean, and the solid Earth.

The contribution of multiple scattering to Love wave generation in the secondary microseism

The contribution of multiple scattering to Love wave generation in the secondary microseism

Ambient seismic noise wavefield in Japan characterized by polarization analysis of Hi-net records

The polarization of seismic waves can be used to infer the directionality of the ambient noise wavefield. We demonstrate a simple relationship between the vertical–horizontal cross-spectra at a single station and the azimuthal energy distribution of incident waves. The imaginary parts of the cross-spectra are related to the azimuthal energy distribution of elliptically polarized waves (Rayleigh waves), and the real parts are related to linearly polarized waves (P waves). The relationship can be used to estimate the dominant backazimuth and directional intensity of the incident waves. We apply our polarization method to records of length 1 yr observed by Hi-net to investigate the characteristics of the ambient noise wavefield in Japan. Rayleigh waves in secondary microseisms in the period range 4–8 s are sensitive to ocean wave activity in the adjacent sea, showing seasonal variations in directionality that are related to a pressure source region estimated by an ocean wave model. Compared with Rayleigh waves, the sources of the P wave energy are distant. The relative contribution of P wave energy in ambient noise increases when the adjacent sea is calm. At periods of 2–4 s, the directionality of the ambient noise wavefield seems to correspond to major tectonic boundaries. In addition to spatial variations of directionality due to the source distribution of microseisms in 2–4 s, strong crustal heterogeneities along tectonic boundaries may produce the abrupt change in the directionality. Trapping and scattering in thick sediments and around those boundaries may reduce the ambient noise directionality originating from their source distribution. The backazimuths at 1–2 s periods point towards the nearest coasts from each station without remarkable seasonal variations, which is attributed to strong path effects, wave scattering and attenuation. As polarization analysis is applicable through a wide frequency range our technique provides a means of characterizing the broad-band ambient seismic wavefield.

Analysis of the primary and secondary microseisms in the wavefield of the ambient noise recorded in northern Poland

Seasonal changes of the primary and secondary microseisms were analysed in the wavefield of the ambient noise recorded during the entire 2014 at the “13 BB star” array located in northern Poland, composed of thirteen, symmetrically arranged, broadband seismic stations. To that, spectral analysis, seismic interferometry, surface scalar wind speed distribution, and beamforming were used. Spectral analysis allowed to observe that a splitting of the secondary microseism peak was present in winter and autumn, and that the primary microseism peak was visible in spring, summer and autumn. Using seismic interferometry, the long-term characteristics of the noise wavefield were recognized. The seasonal variations of the secondary microseism source were described by means of the analysis of the surface scalar wind speed for each month. The splitting of the secondary peak was attributed to the interaction of a strong wind blowing from the North Sea with a weak wind blowing from the Baltic Sea. The seasonal variations of the primary microseism peak were characterized through the frequency-domain beamforming. The peak was identified during spring, summer and autumn, when the generated wavefield was coming from the Baltic Sea. The velocity of the wavefield was evaluated within the 2.0–5.0 km/s range. The described mechanism of generation of the microseisms, based on the interaction of the nearby winds, was found to be consistent with the models reported in the literature.

Matched Field Processing of Three‐Component Seismic Array Data Applied to Rayleigh and Love Microseisms

AbstractWe extend three‐component plane wave beamforming to a more general form and devise a framework, which incorporates velocity heterogeneities of the seismic propagation medium and allows us to estimate accurately sources that do not follow the simple plane wave assumption. This is achieved by utilizing fast marching to track seismic wave fronts for given surface wave phase velocity maps. The resulting matched field processing approach is used to study the surface wave locations of Rayleigh and Love waves at 8 and 16 s based on data from four seismic arrays in the western United States. By accurately accounting for the path propagation effects, we are able to map microseism surface wave source locations more accurately than conventional plane wave beamforming. In the primary microseisms frequency range, Love waves are dominant over Rayleigh waves and display a directional radiation pattern. In the secondary microseisms range, we find the general source regions for both wave types to be similar, but on smaller scales differences are observed. Love waves are found to originate from a larger area than Rayleigh waves and their energy is equal or slightly weaker than Rayleigh waves. The energy ratios are additionally found to be source location dependent. Potential excitation mechanisms are discussed which favor scattering from Rayleigh‐to‐Love waves.

Analysis of seismic noise in the Romanian-Bulgarian cross-border region

We present the first detailed investigation of the background seismic noise recorded in the Romanian-Bulgarian cross-border region over 3 years (2012–2015). We used the power spectral densities probability density functions (PSD PDFs) to study the noise variations in the period domain (0.025–1 s) as well as in the secondary microseism band (2–10 s). Strong diurnal variations and an increase of the noise levels during working days were observed at high frequencies at all stations, thus confirming the anthropic origin of the noise at low periods. The noise variations observed at longer periods (> 1 s) are relatively small among the stations and are related to season changes. The dominant feature in the noise spectra between 2 and 10 s is the double-frequency peak (DFP) whose amplitude increases and changes during winter. For a specific interval, from 25th to 27th of January 2014, when a storm was reported in the Black Sea area, the maximum of the DFP shifted from larger periods (~ 5.5 s) at stations far from the Black Sea towards smaller periods (~ 1.8 s) at stations located on the coastline. The polarization analysis showed that the short period double-frequency microseisms originating from the Black Sea dominate during the winter month. Finally, we showed that site conditions vary due to noise variations related to weather conditions in the Black Sea or to changes in anthropogenic noise sources.

Secondary microseisms of North Atlantic windstorms in Central Eurasia—an understanding of an anomalously big bulge of seismic noise before the 2001 November 14 Mw 7.8 Kunlun earthquake

Secondary microseisms of North Atlantic windstorms in Central Eurasia—an understanding of an anomalously big bulge of seismic noise before the 2001 November 14 Mw 7.8 Kunlun earthquake

The persistent signature of tropical cyclones in ambient seismic noise

The spectrum of ambient seismic noise shows strong signals associated with tropical cyclones, yet a detailed understanding of these signals and the relationship between them and the storms is currently lacking. Through the analysis of more than a decade of seismic data recorded at several stations located in and adjacent to the northwest Pacific Ocean, here we show that there is a persistent and frequency-dependent signature of tropical cyclones in ambient seismic noise that depends on characteristics of the storm and on the detailed location of the station relative to the storm. An adaptive statistical model shows that the spectral amplitude of ambient seismic noise, and notably of the short-period secondary microseisms, has a strong relationship with tropical cyclone intensity and can be employed to extract information on the tropical cyclones.

Microseismic noise in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, equatorial Atlantic

Microseismic noise, also known as ambient seismic noise, are continuous vibrations mostly composed of Rayleigh waves pervasively recorded in the mili Hertz to 1 Hz frequency range. Their precise source mechanisms are under investigations and related to atmospheric perturbations and ocean gravity waves. Our purpose is to show the behavior of the microseismic noise recorded in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA) with respect to wind intensity and ocean waves height in this region, between the North and South Atlantic Ocean. We have recorded both primary microseisms (PM) 0.04–0.12 Hz and the secondary microseisms (SM) 0.12–0.4 Hz during almost four years (2012–2015) and we used frequency, temporal, spatial and statistical correlation analysis to do qualitative and quantitative analysis with respect to wind speed intensity and significant wave height for the same periods. The results indicate a good correlation between the PM and the SM noise in the region particularly during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere and a poor correlation during the summer. We have also shown that probably most of the PM are generated in the SPSPA itself. We note that the intensity of SM recorded in SPSPA appears to have a seasonal behavior with the summer and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and seems to influence the correlation between the PM and the SM, suggesting that the sources of the PM and the SM are not related to the same atmospheric event and from different places. PM generation would occur near the SPSPA whilst the SM would have distant sources towards the North Atlantic.