Calculation of Hydroacoustic Propagation and Conversion to Seismic Phases at T-Stations

Abstract

The International Monitoring System (IMS) hydroacoustic network consists of six hydrophone stations and 5 T-stations. The IMS T-stations are high-frequency seismic stations (sample rates of 100 Hz) situated on islands or coastal stations and intended primarily to capture impulsive signals from in-water explosions. However, while there are numerous recordings of impulsive-like signals from in-water explosions at the hydrophone stations, recordings of this type of signal at the T-stations are rare. This is because the conversion of the hydroacoustic to a seismic signal as it propagates from ocean to land is inefficient, characterized both by complex geologic and topographic features and by strong attenuation. To improve the understanding of this signal conversion at T-stations, we performed numerical calculations using the spectral element code SPECFEM2D, modelling the acoustic signal as it propagates from the deep ocean through the ocean/land interface and finally, as an elastic signal, to the T-station. Environmental information from a variety of sources was gathered to construct the earth and ocean models used in the calculations. The goal of this work is to provide a set of calculated waveforms to complement the limited set of observed waveforms and to assist in the characterization of arrivals from explosion-generated hydroacoustic waves recorded at the T-stations.

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