Earth's Trembling for Economic Growth

Session: Innovative Seismo-Acoustic Applications to Forensics and Novel Monitoring Problems
Type: Oral
Date: 4/29/2020
Time: 05:30 PM
Room: 240
Description: 

Economic growth affected the Earth environment in a wide range of aspects. Human activity is a major component to develop high-frequency ground vibrations that are recorded as seismic noises. We investigate the ambient seismic noise changes for decades in major cities of 11 countries in diverse economic conditions. The seismic noises at frequencies greater than 2 Hz display diurnal periodicity that is associated with daily human activity. Anthropogenic sources dominantly control the daytime seismic noises. The annual seismic noise level follows the manufacturing gross domestic product (GDP). The noise level is proportional to economic growth. The noise levels increase fast in low GDP regions compared to high GDP regions. The noise levels in major cities increased by 14 to 111 % for 5-23 years. The high correlation between noise levels and GDPs may enable us to monitor the economic condition based on the seismic noises. The growing economy appears to enhance the Earth trembling.

Presenting Author: Tae-Kyung Hong

Authors