Integration of microseism, wavemeter buoy, HF radar and hindcast data to analyze the Mediterranean cyclone Helios

Abstract

Abstract. In this work, we study a Mediterranean cyclone, Helios, which took place during 9–11 February 2023 in the southeastern part of Sicily and Malta, by a multiparametric approach combining microseism results with sea state and meteorological data provided by wavemeter buoy, HF radar, hindcast maps and satellite SEVIRI images. The sub-tropical system Helios caused heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts and violent storm surges with significant wave heights greater than 5 m. We deal with the relationships between such a system and the features of microseism (the most continuous and ubiquitous seismic signal on Earth) in terms of spectral content, space–time variation of the amplitude and source locations tracked by means of two methods (amplitude-based grid search and array techniques). By comparing the location of the microseism sources and the area affected by significant storm surges derived from sea state data, we note that the microseism location results are in agreement with the real position of the storm surges. In addition, we are able to obtain the seismic signature of Helios using a method that exploits the coherence of continuous seismic noise. Hence, we show how an innovative monitoring system of the Mediterranean cyclones can be designed by integrating microseism information with other techniques routinely used to study meteorological phenomena.