Natural Hazards and Earth System Science www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net 1561-8633 1684-9981 10 7 2010 10.5194/nhess-10-1431-2010 http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/10/1431/2010/ http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/10/1431/2010/nhess-10-1431-2010.html http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/10/1431/2010/nhess-10-1431-2010.pdf 1431 1442 2010-07-02 Mesopause temperature perturbations caused by infrasonic waves as a potential indicator for the detection of tsunamis and other geo-hazards M. Bittner michael.bittner@dlr.de K. Höppner C. Pilger C. Schmidt German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany Many geo-hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, severe weather, etc., produce acoustic waves with sub-audible frequency, so called infrasound. This sound propagates from the surface to the middle and upper atmosphere causing pressure and temperature perturbations. Temperature fluctuations connected with the above mentioned events usually are very weak at the surface, but the amplitude increases with height because of the exponential decrease of atmospheric pressure with increasing altitude. At the mesopause region (80–100 km height) signal amplitudes are about two to three orders of magnitude larger than on the ground. <br><br> The GRIPS (GRound-based Infrared P-branch Spectrometer) measurement system operated by the German Remote Sensing Data Center of the German Aerospace Center (DLR-DFD) derives temperatures of the mesopause region by observing hydroxyl (OH) airglow emissions in the near infrared atmospheric emission spectrum originating from a thin layer at approximately 87 km height. <br><br> The GRIPS instrument is in principle suited for the detection of infrasonic signals generated by e.g. tsunamis and other geo-hazards. This is due to the fact that the infrasound caused by such events should induce observable short-period fluctuations in the OH airglow temperatures. First results obtained during a field campaign performed at the Environmental Research Station "Schneefernerhaus", Zugspitze (47.4° N, 11.0° E) from October to December 2008 are presented regarding potential sources of meteorological and orographical origin. <br><br> An adequate distinction of the overlapping infrasonic signatures caused by different infrasound sources in the OH temperature record is needed for the ascription to the proper source. The approach presented here could form a contribution to a hazard monitoring and early warning system. Baker, D. J. and Stair Jr., A. T.: Rocket measurements of the altitude distributions of the hydroxyl airglow, Phys. Scripta, 37, 611–622, 1988. Bates, D. R. and Nicolet, M.: Atmospheric Hydrogen, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 62(365), 106–110, 1950. Beig, G., Keckhut, P., Lowe, R. P., Roble, R. G., Mlynczak, M. G., Scheer, J., Fomichev, V. I., Offermann, D., French, W. J. R., Shepherd, M. G., Semenov, A. I., Remsberg, E. E., She, C. Y., Lübken, F. J., Bremer, J., Clemesha, B. R., Stegman, J., Sigernes, F., and Fadnavis, S.: Review of mesospheric temperature trends, Rev. Geophys., 41, 1015–1055, 2003. Bittner, M., Offermann, D., Graef, H. H., and Donner, M.: Wavelet analysis of upper mesosphere temperature variations, Adv. Space Res., 21, 1445–1448, 1998. Bittner, M., Offermann, D., and Graef, H. H.: Mesopause temperature variability above a midlatitude station in Europe, J. Geophys. Res., 105, 2045–2058, 2000. Bittner, M., Offermann, D., Graef, H. H., Donner, M., and Hamilton, K.: An 18-year time series of OH rotational temperatures and middle atmosphere decadal variations, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 64, 1147–1166, 2002. Blanc, E.: Observations in the upper atmosphere of infrasonic waves from natural or artificial sources - A summary, Ann. Geophys., 3, 673–687, 1985. Bowman, H. S. and Bedard, A. J.: Observations of Infrasound and Subsonic Disturbances Related to Severe Weather, Geophys. J. Int., 26(1–4), 215–242, 1971. Buriti, R. A., Takahashi, H., Lima, L. M., and Medeiros, A. F.: Equatorial planetary waves in the mesosphere observed by airglow periodic oscillations, Adv. Space Res., 35, 2031–2036, 2005. Campus, P.: The IMS Infrasound Network and its Potential for Detection of Events: Examples of a Variety of Signals recorded Around the World, Inframatics, 06, 13–22, 2004. Chimonas, G. and Peltier, W. R.: On severe storm acoustic signals observed at ionospheric heights, J. Atmos. Terr. Phy., 36, 821–828, 1974. Dalgarno, A.: Vibrationally excited molecules in atmospheric reactions, Planet. Space Sci., 10, 19–28, 1963. Drob, D. P., Picone, J. M., and Garcés, M.: Global morphology of infrasound propagation, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4680–4691, 2003. Espy, P. J., Stegman, J., and Witt, G.: Interannual variations of the quasi-16-day oscillation in the polar summer mesospheric temperature, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 1983–1990, 1997. Evans, L. B., Bass, H., and Sutherland, L.: Atmospheric Absorption of Sound: Theoretical Predictions, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 51, 1565–1575, 1972. Evers, L. G. and Haak, H. W.: Listening to sounds from an exploding meteor and oceanic waves, Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 41–44, 2001. Garcés, M., Caron, P., and Hetzer, C.: Deep Infrasound radiated by the Sumatra Earthquake and Tsunami, EOS T. Am. Geophys. Un., 86(35), 317–320, doi:10.1029/2005EO350002, 2005. Gavrilov, N. M., Shiokawa, K., and Ogawa, T.: Seasonal variations of medium-scale gravity wave parameters in the lower thermosphere obtained from spectral airglow temperature imager observations at Shigaraki, Japan, J. Geophys. Res., 107, 4755–4764, 2002. Georges, T. M.: Infrasound from Convective Storms: Examining the Evidence, Rev. Geophys., 11, 571–594, 1973. Gossard, E. E. and Hooke, W. H.: Waves in the atmosphere: Atmospheric infrasound and gravity waves – Their generation and propagation, Atmospheric Science~2, Elsevier, New York, 1975. Hedin, A. E., Fleming, E. L., Manson, A. H., Schmidlin, F. J., Avery, S. K., Clark, R. R., Franke, S. J., Fraser, G. J., Tsuda, T., Vial, F., and Vincent, R. A.: Empirical wind model for the upper, middle and lower atmosphere, J. Atmos. Terr. Phys., 58, 1421–1447, 1996. Höppner, K. and Bittner, M.: Evidence for Solar signals in the mesopause temperature variability?, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 69, 431–448, 2007. Johnson, J. B., Lees, J. M., and Yepes, H.: Volcanic eruptions, lightning, and a waterfall: Differentiating the menagerie of infrasound in the Ecuadorian jungle, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, 6308–6311, 2006. Jones, R. M., Riley, J. P., and Georges, T. M.: HARPA: A versatile three-dimensional Hamiltonian ray-tracing program for acoustic waves in the atmosphere above irregular terrain, NOAA Special Report, 1986. Krasnov, V., Drobzheva, Y., and Lastovicka, J.: Acoustic energy transfer to the upper atmosphere from sinusoidal sources and a role of nonlinear processes, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 69, 1357–1365, 2007. Krassovsky, V. I., Shefov, N. N., and Yarin, V. I.: Atlas of the airglow spectrum 3000–12 400 Å, Planet. Space Sci., 9, 883–915, 1962. Le Pichon, A., Herry, P., Mialle, P., Vergoz, J., Brachet, N., Garcés, M., Drob, D., and Ceranna, L.: Infrasound associated with 2004–2005 large Sumatra earthquakes and tsunami, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, 19802–19806, 2005. Liszka, L.: Infrasonic Waves – Interaction with the Atmosphere, in: Dynamical and Chemical Coupling Between the Neutral and Ionized Atmosphere, edited by: Grandal, B. and Holtet, J. A., NATO ASIC Proc., 35, 63–71, 1977. López-González, M. J., Rodríguez, E., García-Comas, M., Costa, V., Shepherd, M. G., Shepherd, G. G., Aushev, V. M., and Sargoytchev, S.: Climatology of planetary wave type oscillations with periods of 2-20 days derived from O₂ atmospheric and OH(6-2) airglow observations at mid-latitude with SATI, Ann. Geophys., 27, 3645–3662, 2009. Lyra, G.: Theorie der stationären Leewellenströmung in freier Atmosphäre, ZAMM-Z. Angew. Math. Me., 23(1), 1–28, 1943. Meinel, A. B.: OH emission bands in the spectrum of the night sky. Part~IAstrophys. J., 111, 555–564, 1950a. Meinel, A. B.: OH emission bands in the spectrum of the night sky. Part~II, Astrophys. J., 112, 120–130, 1950b. Mies, F. H.: Calculated vibrational transition probabilities of OH(X$^2\Pi$), J. Mol. Spectrosc., 53, 150–188, 1974. Mutschlecner, J. P. and Whitacker, R. W.: Infrasound from earthquakes, J. Geophys. Res., 110, 1108–1118, 2005. Pendleton, W. R., Espy, P. J., and Hammond, M. R.: Evidence for non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium rotation in the OH nightglow, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 11567–11579, 1993. Picone, J. M., Hedin, A. E., Drob, D. P., and Aikin, A. C.: NRLMSISE-00 empirical model of the atmosphere: Statistical comparisons and scientific issues, J. Geophys. Res., 107, 1468–1483, 2002. Pilger, C. and Bittner, M.: Infrasound from tropospheric sources: Impact on mesopause temperature?, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 71, 816–822, 2009. PrepCom: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, Vienna, 1997. Reisin, E. R. and Scheer, J.: Gravity wave activity in the mesopause region from airglow measurements at El Leoncito, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 66, 655–661, 2004. Ripepe, M. and Marchetti, E.: Array tracking of infrasonic sources at Stromboli volcano, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(22), 2076–2079, 2002. Rudloff, A., Lauterjung, J., Münch, U., and Tinti, S.: Preface "The GITEWS Project (German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System)", Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 9, 1381–1382, doi:10.5194/nhess-9-1381-2009, 2009. Schubert, G., Hickey, M. P., and Walterscheid, R. L.: Physical processes in acoustic wave heating of the thermosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 110, 7106–7110, 2005. Sivjee, G. G., Walterscheid, R. L., and McEwen, D. J.: Planetary wave disturbances in the Artic winter mesopause over Eureka (80° N), Planet. Space Sci. 42, 973–986, 1994. Sutherland, L. C. and Bass, H. E.: Atmospheric absorption in the atmosphere up to 160 km, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 115, 1012–1032, 2004. Takahashi, H., Buriti, R. A., Gobbi, D., and Batista, P. P.: Equatorial planetary wave signatures observed in mesospheric airglow emissions, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 64, 1263–1272, 2002. Torrence, C. and Compo, G. P.: A Practical Guide to Wavelet Analysis, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 79, 61–78, 1998. Warfield, J. T. and Jacobson, M. J.: Invariance of geometric spreading loss with changes in ray parametrization, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 50(1), 342–347, 1971. Widdel, H., Bittner, M., and Hoppe, U.: Vertical velocities measured at Biscarrosse and by EISCAT at Tromso during the DYANA campaign, J. Atmos. Terr. Phys., 56, 1779–1796, 1994. Wilson, C. R. and Olson, J. V.: Mountain Associated Waves at I53US and I55US in Alaska and Antarctica in the Frequency Passband from 0.015 to 0.10 Hz, Inframatics, 3, 6–10, 2003. Wüst, S. and Bittner, M.: Non-linear resonant wave-wave interaction (triad). Case studies based on rocket data and first application to satellite data, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 68, 969–976, 2006.