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Distributed Acoustic Sensing Using Fiber Optic Cables of Opportunity - An Experiment at an Ecological Observatory

Session: Fiber-Optic Seismology II [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/23/2021

Presentation Time: 03:45 PM Pacific

Description: 

During August of 2019, members of Battelle’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) team and Los Alamos National Laboratory's geophysics group undertook an experiment to explore application of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology for detection of seismic signals observed using an existing fiber optic cable at a Colorado field site. The NEON program is a 30- year, continental-scale ecology program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by Battelle. Many of the NEON sites across the country are equipped with fiber optic cable. Our experiment site was at the Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) site in northern Colorado. A Silixa digital data acquisition system was installed to record strains on the ~1 km length of cable, while two Kinemetrics MBB-2 broadband three component seismometers were installed at roughly .33 m depth, adjacent to the fiber optic cable. The seismometers were recorded with Digos Data-Cube Type 2 digitizers with timing set by GPS. The collaboration and field deployment in the midst of COVID-19 operational restrictions provided an example of creative problem-solving and leveraging technology to facilitate remote interaction for installation under challenging conditions.

A preliminary examination of the large data volume acquired during the two-week experiment suggests that the in-situ cable was not well coupled for sensitivity to ground displacements from reported regional and teleseismic earthquakes (compared to the adjacent geophones), while no local seismicity occurred during this time. At the same time, the system proved highly sensitive to nearby foot traffic, wildlife activities and other high-frequency disturbances. We present the project and its preliminary results.

Presenting Author: Charlotte A. Rowe

Student Presenter: No

Authors