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Local Explosion Infrasound Propagation at Dawn: Insight From the Large Surface Explosion Coupling Experiment

Session: Infrasound and the Seismo-Acoustic Wavefield II

Type: Oral

Date: 4/21/2021

Presentation Time: 10:45 AM Pacific

Description: 

The Large Surface Explosion Coupling Experiment (LSECE) was conducted in Yucca Flat at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in October 2020. The main goal of the experiment was to provide the ground-truth data for acoustic and seismic wave coupling generated by large chemical explosions. The experiment consisted of two surface explosions of 1000 kg TNT equivalent. It is well known that local propagation of explosion infrasound is substantially affected by the condition of the atmospheric boundary layer near the ground. Two detonations were executed before dawn and in the afternoon to collect data under two different atmospheric conditions. In general, explosion experiments are often conducted in the middle of the day, when local infrasound propagation is mainly governed by a negative temperature gradient in the boundary layer. However, the LSECE experiment provides rare ground-truth data generated and measured before dawn when the vertical temperature and wind variations are distinctly different from those in the afternoon. We compare explosion infrasound generation and propagation at dawn with other data collected in the daytime and test our modeling capability to predict the signal propagation.

Presenting Author: Keehoon Kim

Student Presenter: No

Authors