Global characteristics of ambient seismic noise

Abstract

AbstractAmbient seismic noise becomes more and more important and helpful on assisting velocity model inversion, earthquake detection, and ground motion prediction. Based on the analysis of continuous seismic data and ocean wave height, we find that the ocean wave height and winter storms have a controlling factor on the DF microseismic energy level and its frequency extent in time scale. It shows that high and low DF microseismic energy accompanied with wide and narrow frequency range consistent with the high wave height period (when the ocean is stormier) and low wave height period, respectively. Since DF microseism is dominated by Rayleigh waves, its energy attenuates very quickly when it travels through shoreline to the continent crust. Our observations give a quality factor Q of about 83 for DF energy traveling from the middle of the Atlantic to the central of Europe. We observe a lower energy level of SPDF (short period DF) than that of LPDF (long period DF) for the continent stations, however a reversed situation for the island stations. It suggests that short period DF energy decays faster than the long period one. High-frequency ambient noise is called microtremor. The microtremor for the island station with low elevation has a semidiurnal modulation in phase with ocean tide. The microtremor for the station at other locations are from the anthropogenic activities which have diurnal, weekly, and annually variations.