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New Seismic Noise Models Obtained Using Very Broadband Stations

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Abstract

It has been two decades since the last comprehensive standard model of ambient earth noise was published Peterson (Observations and modelling of seismic background noise, US Geological Survey, open-file report 93–322, 1993). The PETERSON model was updated by analyzing the absolute quietest conditions for stations within the GSN (Berger et al. in J Geophys Res 109, 2005; Mcnamara and Buland in Bull Seism Soc Am 94:1517–1527, 2004; Ringler et al. in Seismol Res Lett 81(4) doi:10.1785/gssrl.81.4.605, 2010). Unfortunately, both the original model and the updated models did not include any deployed station in North Africa and Middle East, which reflects the noise levels within the desert environment of those regions. In this study, a survey was conducted to create a new seismic noise model from very broadband stations which recently deployed in North Africa. For this purpose, 1 year of continuous recording of seismic noise data of the Egyptian National Seismic Network (ENSN) was analyzed in order to create a new noise model. Seasonal and diurnal variations in noise spectra were recorded at each station. Moreover, we constructed a new noise model for each individual station. Finally, we obtained a new cumulative noise model for all the stations. We compared the new high-noise model (EHNM) and new low-noise model (ELNM) with both the high-noise model (NHNM) and low-noise model (NLNM) of Peterson (Observations and modelling of seismic background noise, US Geological Survey, open-file report 93–322, 1993). The obtained noise levels are considerably lower than low-noise model of Peterson (Observations and modelling of seismic background noise, US Geological Survey, open-file report 93–322, 1993) at ultra long period band (ULP band), but they are still below the high-noise model of Peterson (Observations and modelling of seismic background noise, US Geological Survey, open-file report 93–322, 1993). The results of this study could be considered as a first step to create permanent seismic noise models for North Africa and Middle East regions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Egyptian national seismological network Egypt for the provision of seismic data as well as all other facilities required for this research. Thanks are due to Dr. Hamid Nofel (Egyptian National Seismological Network) for kindly offering some power spectral density analysis codes and valuable advice during work in this research. Grateful thanks to Professor Rashad. M. Kebeasy (Egyptian National Seismological Network) who helped improve and edit the manuscript. Great thanks due to the reviewer Professor McNamara for his great recommendations which significantly improved the final version of the article.

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  1. Seismology Department, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt

    Abd el-aziz Khairy Abd el-aal & Mahmoud Sami Soliman

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  1. Abd el-aziz Khairy Abd el-aal
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  2. Mahmoud Sami Soliman
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Correspondence to Abd el-aziz Khairy Abd el-aal.

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Abd el-aal, A.ea.K., Soliman, M.S. New Seismic Noise Models Obtained Using Very Broadband Stations. Pure Appl. Geophys. 170, 1849–1857 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-013-0640-7

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