Why Non-Seismic Sensors Are Actually Valuable to Network Seismology: Examples From Alaska
Description:
The Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) provides earthquake data, products, and monitoring services, built primarily on networks of broadband and strong motion seismometers distributed across the nation. It is increasingly common to leverage these networks to operate other types of sensing equipment with objectives ranging from meteorology and wildfire management, to nuclear treaty verification and space weather. We demonstrate here that these other sensing types can have direct applicability to the seismic mission of networks and related programs including the ANSS.
The seismic network in Alaska has expanded considerably through a mix of upgrades and adoptions tied to the NSF EarthScope program, coupled with strategic investments. Renamed as the Alaska Geophysical Network, these stations now include some combination of GNSS, weather, infrasound, webcam, or soil temperature sensing. Recent large earthquakes demonstrate how GNSS can be integrated directly to make up for displacement and amplitude shortcomings in seismic data. Colocated wind records track the influence of vegetation, snow, and station design on seismic noise at frequencies critical to regional monitoring. Infrasound has recently been used to reconstruct vertical component ground motion in locations where seismic sensors have clipped. And webcams and weather sensors can facilitate field work logistics decisions saving thousands of dollars in air transport.
The colocation model does have challenges. It can be difficult to account for shared resources, including field logistics, power system needs, communication costs, and computing systems. It is bureaucratically non-trivial to build collaboration between funding agencies that each have narrow, but well-defined, missions and accountability. And long-term planning is challenging when many stakeholders represent just a single objective. However, the scientific benefits are clear, and the costs are modest. We see benefit to our seismic mission in continuing to develop models that facilitate the inclusion of non-seismic data types.
Session: Network Seismology: Recent Developments, Challenges and Lessons Learned - II
Type: Oral
Date: 5/1/2024
Presentation Time: 04:30 PM (local time)
Presenting Author: Michael
Student Presenter: No
Invited Presentation: Yes
Authors
Michael West Presenting Author Corresponding Author mewest@gmail.com University of Alaska Fairbanks |
Natalia Ruppert naruppert@alaska.edu University of Alaska Fairbanks |
Ronni Grapenthin rgrapenthin@alaska.edu University of Alaska Fairbanks |
Matthew Mohler mdmohler@alaska.edu University of Alaska Fairbanks |
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Why Non-Seismic Sensors Are Actually Valuable to Network Seismology: Examples From Alaska
Session
Network Seismology: Recent Developments, Challenges and Lessons Learned