Cyclic Background Noise Variations on Infrasound Microbarometers From Micrometeorology and Human Activity

Malach, Amrit Kaur; Bowman, Daniel C.; Wharton, Sonia; Turley, Reagan S.; White, Robert L.; Schalk, Walter

doi:10.1029/2025GL116415

Cyclic Background Noise Variations on Infrasound Microbarometers From Micrometeorology and Human Activity

Journal Article · Fri Oct 10 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL116415· OSTI ID:2999180

^[1]; ^[2]; Wharton, Sonia ^[3]; ^[4]; White, Robert L. ^[4]; Schalk, Walter ^[4]

Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Chapel HIll, NC (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Nevada National Security Site/Mission Support and Test Services LLC (NNSS/MSTS), North Las Vegas, NV (United States)

Infrasound microbarometers deployed on the Earth's surface capture pressure fluctuations and acoustic signatures, revealing trends in surface wind speed and cycles in ambient sound. Previous studies investigated wind noise trends at quarter day resolution and urban acoustic background variations on hourly to weekly scales. Cyclic variations at sub-hourly resolution over local distances remain unaddressed. We show that topography-driven micrometeorology impacts diurnal background noise levels below 10 Hz. Anthropogenic noise occurs over daily and weekly cycles, with inputs from traffic, ventilation systems, and power lines. These noise patterns vary at stations spaced less than a kilometer apart. We observe these phenomena by using a circular spectrogram to visualize frequency trends over a periodic temporal scale. This study demonstrates that infrasound microbarometer deployments can highlight localized wind patterns and time scales of human activity. The results suggest that future microbarometer deployments may benefit from site noise surveys before selecting final sensor locations.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525; NA0003624; AC05-76RL01830; AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 2999180

Report Number(s):: SAND--2025-12966J; 1773523

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 19 Vol. 52; ISSN 1944-8007; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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