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A lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling model for ELF electromagnetic waves radiated from seismic sources and its possibility observed by the CSES

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Abstract

Over the last century, abnormal electromagnetic (EM) emissions associated with earthquake (EQ) activities have been widely reported and recorded by ground-based and satellite observations. The mechanism of extremely low-frequency (ELF) EM waves radiating from earthquakes has been gradually established. However, whether EM waves radiated from earthquakes can be detected by low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites remains controversial. In this paper, to address these concerns, a lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere model of ELF wave propagation is constructed. The features of the simulated EM field at LEO satellite altitudes radiated from earthquakes have been studied. The simulated EM field at the altitude of the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) is compared with the sensitivity of electromagnetic (EM) sensors onboard the CSES. The results illustrate that an earthquake with a magnitude over 6.0 can be detected by the EM sensors of the CSES. However, this depends on the focal depth, seismogenic environment and ionospheric parameters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Natural Hazards, Ministry of Emergency Management of China, Beijing, 100085, China

    ShuFan Zhao, XuHui Shen & ZhiMa Zeren

  2. Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, 100081, China

    Li Liao

Authors
  1. ShuFan Zhao
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  2. XuHui Shen
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  3. Li Liao
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  4. ZhiMa Zeren
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Correspondence to XuHui Shen.

Additional information

This work was supported by a research grant from the National Institute of Natural Hazards, Ministry of Emergency Management of China (Grant No. ZDJ2020-06), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41874174, 41704156, and 41804156), a research grant from the China Research Institute of Radiowave Propagation (research on low ionosphere satellite detection and research on the coupling mechanism of lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere alternating electric fields), the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFC1503501), and the APSCO Earthquake Research Project Phase II.

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Zhao, S., Shen, X., Liao, L. et al. A lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling model for ELF electromagnetic waves radiated from seismic sources and its possibility observed by the CSES. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 64, 2551–2559 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-021-1934-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-021-1934-5

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