Seafloor Seismic Noise Patterns Across the Pacific Basin
[1];
[2];
[3]
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM (United States)
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM (United States)
Seismic hazard monitoring and global tomography efforts are improved by recording signals at a variety of distances and azimuths to maximize subsurface sampling. Although seismic networks provide good to excellent coverage on land, seafloor stations are still sparse. Inclusion of ocean-based data would greatly improve the global coverage of seismic networks, but the use of seafloor seismic data to complement land-based detection and characterization of events is complicated by the generally much higher ambient noise level in the ocean compared to that observed on land. This noise is driven primarily by sea surface waves and tides, but how seismic noise levels vary with location in the oceans is not well described. Here, in this work, we analyze the relationship between ocean surface wave height and seismic noise in the 0.4–4 Hz frequency band at ocean-bottom seismometer deployments across the Pacific basin. We find that a noise-to-responsiveness ratio (NRR)—the median noise level at a station divided by its sea surface wave height responsiveness—correlates negatively with detection success for large teleseismic earthquakes. Stations that are close to land, with relatively shallow ocean and low wind speed, often have lower NRR than open-ocean stations, but the connection between geographic location and earthquake detection success is imperfect.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001
- OSTI ID:
- 2538404
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR--24-29473
- Journal Information:
- Seismological Research Letters, Journal Name: Seismological Research Letters Journal Issue: 2A Vol. 96; ISSN 0895-0695
- Publisher:
- Seismological Society of AmericaCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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