Seismic Noise Levels Across Antarctica

We utilize recently collected west (POLENET) and east Antarctic (AGAP) seismic data from temporary seismic networks, along with existing long-term and previous temporary Antarctic deployments of seismographs to characterize seismic noise across Antarctica, including substantial previously unsampled regions of the continental interior. Power spectral density spectra (PSD) at each broadband station are comprehensively calculated over 1.5 hour, continuous, overlapping time windows to assess noise levels across a period band of ~0.05 to 100 seconds period are estimated and compared to the Peterson (1993) global high- and low- noise models and to noise levels detected elsewhere on Earth. Analysis over hourly to decadal time periods using PSD probability density functions (PDFs; e.g., McNamara and Buland, 2004) allows for the statistical assessment of noise as a function of frequency and time. We assess the resulting time-dependent seismic noise spectral map of the continent in the context of optimizing the location and distribution of future long-term seismic stations in Antarctica. We also assess transient and seasonal variation in primary (~16 s) and secondary (~8 s) microseism peaks, which are both sensitive to near-coastal storms and wave state and to the annual formation and breakup of sea ice.