Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 0905.3313

Ionospheric total electron content variations observed before earthquakes: Possible physical mechanism and modeling

Abstract

The GPS derived anomalous TEC disturbances before earthquakes were discovered in the last years using global and regional TEC maps, measurements over individual stations as well as measurements along individual GPS satellite passes. For strong mid-latitudinal earthquakes the seismo-ionospheric anomalies look like local TEC enhancements or decreases located in the vicinity of the forthcoming earthquake epicenter In case of strong low-latitudinal earthquakes there are effects related with the modification of the equatorial F2-region anomaly: deepening or filling of the ionospheric electron density trough over the magnetic equator. We consider that the most probable reason of the NmF2 and TEC disturbances observed before the earthquakes is the vertical drift of the F2-region ionospheric plasma under the influence of the zonal electric field of seismic origin. To check this hypothesis, the model calculations have been carried out with the use of the Upper Atmosphere Model. The electric potential distribution at the near-epicenter region boundary required for the electric field maintenance has been proposed. The upper atmosphere state, presumably foregone a strong earthquake, has been modeled. The results of the corresponding numerical model calculations have revealed a fine agreement with TEC anomalies observed before strong earthquakes at the middle and low latitudes both in spatial scales and in amplitude characteristics.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

A. A. Namgaladze, O. V. Zolotov, I. E. Zakharenkova, I. I. Shagimuratov, O. V. Martynenko. 2009-05-20. Ionospheric total electron content variations observed before earthquakes: Possible physical mechanism and modeling. https://arxiv.org/abs/0905.3313

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Direction-Aware Masked Pretraining for 3D Seismic Representation Learning and Transfer to Cross-Area Acoustic Impedance Inversion

Large archives of unlabeled three-dimensional seismic data offer opportunities for self-supervised representation learning and subsequent transfer to acoustic impedance inversion. However, conventional masked pretraining often treats three axes equivalently, overlooking differences between lateral reflector structure and vertical waveform characteristics. We propose a direction-aware masked autoencoder for three-dimensional post-stack seismic data, combining anisotropic tokenization, direction-aware representation, trace-aligned tube masking, and reconstruction constraints designed for reflector continuity and waveform characteristics. We evaluate reconstruction quality and downstream transferability using field data through masked reconstruction and cross-area acoustic impedance inversion. Reconstruction is more sensitive to lateral token resolution than to moderate changes in vertical patch length. Within the evaluated configurations, increasing encoder capacity does not fully compensate for reconstruction fidelity loss associated with coarser tokenization. Preferred token scales and masking strategies differ between reconstruction and inversion, indicating that reconstruction fidelity alone is not a reliable indicator of transferability. For cross-area inversion, the pretrained model is fine-tuned in the source area and applied to the target area without further parameter updates. With limited target-area well control, the proposed framework reduces normalized root-mean-square error by 20.8% relative to a pretrained conventional masked autoencoder across eight target-area test wells under matched tokenization and downstream settings. These results demonstrate the value of direction-aware masked pretraining for field seismic inversion and show that token scale and masking strategy should be selected according to downstream-task requirements rather than reconstruction accuracy alone.

physics.geo-ph

Predicting the Elastic Properties of a Cemented Granular Material during Chemical Damage (Debonding)

While underground reservoirs emerge as essential elements to face global warming, these systems represent complex multi-physical and multiscale problems. The considered injection of fluids during hydrogen storage, carbon dioxide sequestration, or geothermal energy recovery involves a modification of the chemical equilibrium of the fluid in the porous reservoir. Chemical reactions can induce microstructural changes of the rock matrix, leading to a reduction of elastic properties of the material, and to potential settlement or stress redistribution. Consequently, it becomes pivotal to establish predictive behavior laws to describe the effect of chemical damage on elastic properties. Facing the difficulties to estimate experimentally the impact of chemical damage on mechanical properties, a Digital Rock Physics approach is proposed in this contribution. This numerical homogenization scheme is used to compare two distinct types of microstructure models: the first one consists in a Discrete Element Model, while the second one employs a continuous description. This continuous formulation is based on a Phase-Field description to predict the evolution of the microstructure subjected to chemical alterations and on the Fast Fourier Transform to estimate the macroscopic properties of the material. Finally, these frameworks establish different softening laws that can be used as constitutive ingredients for a cemented material during its weathering.

physics.geo-ph

Determination of Physical Height Differences from Time Transfer via the ACES Mission -- A Simulation Study

The determination of physical height differences using highly stable atomic clocks has emerged as a novel approach in relativistic geodesy, exploiting the gravitational redshift as a direct observable of geopotential differences. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of satellite-based clock comparisons using the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) onboard the International Space Station, which enables time transfer via microwave (MWL) and optical (ELT) links. Since operational optical data are not yet available, a comprehensive full-scale simulation of realistic ACES observation scenarios is performed, including detailed noise models of clocks and links. A slope-based estimation method is applied to time series of clock comparisons in order to extract the relativistic redshift signal and derive height differences between the ground stations. The performance of the approach is evaluated for quasi-common view, non-common view, and split non-common view configurations, where the latter divides the observation period into shorter intervals. The results show that optical links enable faster convergence and can achieve height accuracies at the decimeter level within a few days and at the centimeter level over longer periods, while microwave links are more strongly affected by noise and bias contributions. Non-common view processing significantly increases observation availability with only minor loss in accuracy, and the split approach provides robust solutions for larger networks. These findings demonstrate the strong potential of satellite-based clock comparisons as a remote-sensing technique for determining physical height differences on a continental scale.

physics.geo-ph