Identifying the Frequency Dependent Interactions between Ocean Waves and the Continental Margin on Seismic Noise Recordings

Abstract

This study presents an exploration into identifying the interactions between ocean waves and the continental margin in the origination of double-frequency (DF, 0.1–0.5 Hz) microseisms recorded at 33 stations across East Coast of USA (ECUSA) during a 10-day period of ordinary ocean wave climate. Daily primary vibration directions are calculated in three frequency bands and projected as great circles passing through each station. In each band, the great circles from all stations exhibit largest spatial density primarily near the continental slope in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Generation mechanisms of three DF microseism events are explored by comparing temporal and spatial variations of the DF microseisms with the migration patterns of ocean wave fronts in Wavewatch III hindcasts. Correlation analyses are conducted by comparing the frequency compositions of and calculating the Pearson correlation coefficients between the DF microseisms and the ocean waves recorded at selected buoys. The observations and analyses lead to a hypothesis that the continental slope causes wave reflection, generating low frequency DF energy and that the continental shelf is where high frequency DF energy is mainly generated in ECUSA. The hypothesis is supported by the primary vibration directions being mainly perpendicular to the strike of the continental slope.