Seismic Observations of Four Thunderstorms Using an Underground Fiber-Optic Array

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Hone ◽  
Tieyuan Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
State College ◽  
Full Waveform ◽  
Penn State ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Back Azimuth ◽  
Optic Array ◽  
The Waves

Abstract Thunderstorms are a common atmospheric phenomenon that cause abundant acoustic disturbances, which can interact with the ground surface, creating a link between atmospheric and solid Earth processes. This article reports seismological observations of four thunderstorms through the spring and summer of 2019, as recorded by the distributed acoustic sensing fiber-optic array (4.9 km) on the Penn State campus in State College, Pennsylvania. With a dense sensor array in the local region, we are able to construct the seismic full waveform response of the thunderstorm events (hereafter referred to as thunderquakes) and track the wave propagation across the array. We use a time-domain grid search to obtain the back azimuth and slowness of the waves, and a modified Geiger’s method to pinpoint source locations of the thunderquakes. Correlated with the time of the recorded signal, this data allows reconstruction of thunderstorm movement as well as offering measurements of the seismic velocity.

Comparison between Distributed Acoustic Sensing and Geophones: Downhole Microseismic Monitoring of the FORGE Geothermal Experiment

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 3256-3268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Lellouch ◽  
Nathaniel J. Lindsey ◽  
William L. Ellsworth ◽  
Biondo L. Biondi
Keyword(s):  
Magnitude Estimation ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Geothermal System ◽  
Horizontal Distance ◽  
Fiber Array ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Optic Array

Abstract We compare the performance of a downhole distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic array with that of conventional geophones. The downhole collocated arrays are part of the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) geothermal experiment, in which stimulation of the rock volume in an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) causes microseismic events. The DAS acquisition system yields data sampled at every 1 m at 2000 samples per second for the entire length of the well, spanning to a depth of 985 m from the surface. Whereas single DAS channels are substantially noisier than geophones at the same location, their large number and spatial coherency allow for the application of effective array processing techniques. We follow a complete workflow for the fiber-optic array: velocity model building, event detection, event location, and magnitude estimation. Estimated velocity models agree well with sonic logging in a nearby well and map a granitic contact accurately. Detection performance is somewhat worse than geophones and yields magnitude completeness of −1.4 compared to −1.7 for geophones. Using a single vertical fiber array, we cannot retrieve the azimuth of the events relative to the well. However, we can very accurately estimate their depth and horizontal distance from the array. Magnitude estimation with DAS approaches geophone results to within a standard deviation of M=0.115 and negligible mean difference. The DAS processing results outperform a regional and local surface array, consolidated with a shallow borehole sensor. Although downhole geophones in the FORGE experimental layout performed better, DAS holds several critical practical benefits that were not demonstrated. Thanks to its heat resistance, it can be deployed much closer to the reservoir; fibers can be deployed along cased active wells, eliminating the need for a dedicated monitoring well; the permanently installed fiber can be used for years or decades. Therefore, we argue that DAS holds vast potential for long-term monitoring of EGS projects.

scholarly journals Tobacco Use Changes and Perceived Health Risks among Current Tobacco Users during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1795
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Yingst ◽  
Nicolle M. Krebs ◽  
Candace R. Bordner ◽  
Andrea L. Hobkirk ◽  
Sophia I. Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
User Research ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
State College ◽  
Quit Attempt ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Penn State ◽  
Penn State College ◽  
Current Tobacco

COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, with over 81 million cases worldwide. To assess changes in tobacco use as a result of the pandemic, we surveyed a convenience sample of current tobacco users between April and June 2020. The sample was taken from a tobacco user research registry (n = 3396) from the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA. Participants who responded to the survey and were eligible for this study (n = 291) were 25.6% male, 93% white, and had a mean age of 47.3 (SD = 11.6) years. There were no reports of participants testing positive for COVID-19, but 21.7% reported experiencing symptoms associated with the virus. Most participants (67%) believed that their risk of contracting COVID-19 was the same as non-tobacco users, but 57.7% believed that their risk of serious complications, if infected, was greater compared to non-tobacco users. A total of 28% reported increasing their cigarette use during the pandemic. The most common reasons for increased use were increased stress, more time at home, and boredom while quarantined. Nearly 15% reported decreasing their tobacco use. The most common reasons for reduced use were health concerns and more time around non-smokers (including children). A total of 71 (24.5%) users reported making a quit attempt. Characterizing these pandemic-related changes in tobacco use may be important to understanding the full scope of subsequent health outcomes resulting from the pandemic. Tobacco cessation resources should be tailored to allow for safe, appropriate access for those interested in quitting.

Capturing Glacier-Wide Cryoseismicity With Distributed Acoustic Sensing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Walter ◽  
Patrick Paitz ◽  
Andreas Fichtner ◽  
Pascal Edme ◽  
Wojciech Gajek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Flow Line ◽  
Ground Deformation ◽  
Sensor Coverage ◽  
Mountain Glacier ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Alpine Glacier ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Ice Sheet Dynamics

<p>Over the past 1-2 decades, seismological measurements have provided new and unique insights into glacier and ice sheet dynamics. At the same time, sensor coverage is typically limited in harsh glacial environments with littile or no access. Turning kilometer-long fiber optic cables placed on the Earth’s surface into thousands of seismic sensors, Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) may overcome the limitation of sensor coverage in the cryosphere.</p><p>First DAS applications on the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and on Alpine glacier ice have highlighted the technique’s superiority. Signals of natural and man-made seismic sources can be resolved with an unrivaled level of detail. This offers glaciologists new perspectives to interpret their seismograms in terms of ice structure, basal boundary conditions and source locations. However, previous studies employed only relatively small network scales with a point-like borehole deployment or < 1 km cable aperture at the ice surface.</p><p>Here we present a DAS installation, which aims to cover the majority of an Alpine glacier catchment: For one month in summer 2020 we deployed a 9 km long fiber optic cable on Rhonegletscher, Switzerland, and gathered continuous DAS data. The cable followed the glacier’s central flow line starting in the lowest kilometer of the ablation zone and extending well into the accumulation area. Even for a relatively small mountain glacier such as Rhonegletscher, cable deployment was a considerable logistical challenge. However, initial data analysis illustrates the benefit compared to conventional cryoseismological instrumentation: DAS measurements capture ground deformation over many octaves, including typical high-frequency englacial sources (10s to 100s of Hz) related to crevasse formation and basal sliding as well as long period signals (10s to 100s of seconds) of ice deformation. Depending on the presence of a snow cover, DAS records contain strong environmental noise (wind, meltwater flow, precipitation) and thus exhibit lower signal-to-noise ratios compared to conventional on-ice seismic installations. This is nevertheless outweighed by the advantage of monitoring ground unrest and ice deformation of nearly an entire glacier. We present a first compilation of signal and noise records and discuss future directions to leverage DAS data sets in glaciological research.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>

Empirical Investigations of the Instrument Response for Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) across 17 Octaves

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Paitz ◽  
Pascal Edme ◽  
Dominik Gräff ◽  
Fabian Walter ◽  
Joseph Doetsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Waveform Inversion ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Full Waveform ◽  
Environmental Properties ◽  
Instrument Response ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Reference Measurements ◽  
Seismic Networks

ABSTRACT With the potential of high temporal and spatial sampling and the capability of utilizing existing fiber-optic infrastructure, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is in the process of revolutionizing geophysical ground-motion measurements, especially in remote and urban areas, where conventional seismic networks may be difficult to deploy. Yet, for DAS to become an established method, we must ensure that accurate amplitude and phase information can be obtained. Furthermore, as DAS is spreading into many different application domains, we need to understand the extent to which the instrument response depends on the local environmental properties. Based on recent DAS response research, we present a general workflow to empirically quantify the quality of DAS measurements based on the transfer function between true ground motion and observed DAS waveforms. With a variety of DAS data and reference measurements, we adapt existing instrument-response workflows typically in the frequency band from 0.01 to 10 Hz to different experiments, with signal frequencies ranging from 1/3000 to 60 Hz. These experiments include earthquake recordings in an underground rock laboratory, hydraulic injection experiments in granite, active seismics in agricultural soil, and icequake recordings in snow on a glacier. The results show that the average standard deviations of both amplitude and phase responses within the analyzed frequency ranges are in the order of 4 dB and 0.167π radians, respectively, among all experiments. Possible explanations for variations in the instrument responses include the violation of the assumption of constant phase velocities within the workflow due to dispersion and incorrect ground-motion observations from reference measurements. The results encourage further integration of DAS-based strain measurements into methods that exploit complete waveforms and not merely travel times, such as full-waveform inversion. Ultimately, our developments are intended to provide a quantitative assessment of site- and frequency-dependent DAS data that may help establish best practices for upcoming DAS surveys.

scholarly journals Investigation of the Effects of Surrounding Media on the Distributed Acoustic Sensing of Helically-Wound Fiber-Optic Cable with Application to the New Afton Deposit, British Columbia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sepidehalsadat Hendi ◽  
Mostafa Gorjian ◽  
Gilles Bellefleur ◽  
Christopher D. Hawkes ◽  
Don White
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Numerical Modeling ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Incident Angle ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Straight Fiber

Abstract. Fiber optic sensing technology has recently become popular for oil and gas, mining, geotechnical engineering, and hydrogeology applications. With a successful track record in many applications, distributed acoustic sensing using straight fiber optic cables has become a method of choice for seismic studies. However, distributed acoustic sensing using straight fiber optic cables is not able to detect off-axial strain, hence a helically wound cable design was introduced to overcome this limitation. The helically wound cable field data in New Afton deposit showed that the quality of the data is tightly dependent on the incident angle (the angle between the ray and normal vector of the surface) and surrounding media. We introduce a new analytical two-dimensional approach to determine the dynamic strain of a helically wound cable in terms of incident angle in response to elastic plane waves propagating through multilayered media. The method can be used to quickly and efficiently assess the effects of various materials surrounding a helically wound cable. Results from the proposed analytical model are compared with results from numerical modeling obtained with COMSOL Multiphysics, for scenarios corresponding to a real installation of helically wound cable deployed underground at the New Afton mine in British Columbia, Canada. Results from the analytical model are consistent with numerical modeling results. Our modeling results demonstrate the effects of cement quality, and casing installment on the quality of the helically-wound cable response. Numerical modeling results and field data suggest that, even if reasonably effective coupling achieved, the soft nature of the rocks in these intervals would result in low fiber strains for the HWC. The proposed numerical modeling workflow would be applied for more complicated scenarios (e.g., non-linear material constitutive behaviour, and the effects of pore fluids). The results of this paper can be used as a guideline for analyzing the effect of surrounding media and incident angle on the response of helically wound cable, optimizing the installation of helically wound cable in various conditions, and to validate boundary conditions of 3-D numerical model built for analyzing complex scenarios.

Fiber-Optic Array Biosensors

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahela Ga��parac ◽  
David R. Walt
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Optic Array

scholarly journals Detection of Leak-Induced Pipeline Vibrations Using Fiber—Optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 2841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavol Stajanca ◽  
Sebastian Chruscicki ◽  
Tobias Homann ◽  
Stefan Seifert ◽  
Dirk Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
Accelerometer Data ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
System Sensitivity ◽  
Spectral Integration ◽  
Detection Approach ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Pipeline Vibration

In the presented work, the potential of fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) for detection of small gas pipeline leaks (<1%) is investigated. Helical wrapping of the sensing fiber directly around the pipeline is used to increase the system sensitivity for detection of weak leak-induced vibrations. DAS measurements are supplemented with reference accelerometer data to facilitate analysis and interpretation of recorded vibration signals. The results reveal that a DAS system using direct fiber application approach is capable of detecting pipeline natural vibrations excited by the broadband noise generated by the leaking medium. In the performed experiment, pipeline vibration modes with acceleration magnitudes down to single μg were detected. Simple leak detection approach based on spectral integration of time-averaged DAS signals in frequency domain was proposed. Potential benefits and limitations of the presented monitoring approach were discussed with respect to its practical applicability. We demonstrated that the approached is potentially capable of detection and localization of gas pipeline leaks with leak rates down to 0.1% of the pipeline flow volume and might be of interest for monitoring of short- and medium-length gas pipelines.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing Using Dark Fiber for Array Detection of Regional Earthquakes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avinash Nayak ◽  
Jonathan Ajo-Franklin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Geothermal Field ◽  
Seismic Events ◽  
Broadband Seismometer ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Array Detection ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Back Azimuth ◽  
Ubiquitous Presence

Abstract The intrinsic array nature of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) makes it suitable for applying beamforming techniques commonly used in traditional seismometer arrays for enhancing weak and coherent seismic phases from distant seismic events. We test the capacity of a dark-fiber DAS array in the Sacramento basin, northern California, to detect small earthquakes at The Geysers geothermal field, at a distance of ∼100  km from the DAS array, using beamforming. We use a slowness range appropriate for ∼0.5–1.0  Hz surface waves that are well recorded by the DAS array. To take advantage of the large aperture, we divide the ∼20  km DAS cable into eight subarrays of aperture ∼1.5–2.0  km each, and apply beamforming independently to each subarray using phase-weighted stacking. The presence of subarrays of different orientations provides some sensitivity to back azimuth. We apply a short-term average/long-term average detector to the beam at each subarray. Simultaneous detections over multiple subarrays, evaluated using a voting scheme, are inferred to be caused by the same earthquake, whereas false detections caused by anthropogenic noise are expected to be localized to one or two subarrays. Analyzing 45 days of continuous DAS data, we were able to detect all earthquakes with M≥2.4, while missing most of the smaller magnitude earthquakes, with no false detections due to seismic noise. In comparison, a single broadband seismometer co-located with the DAS array was unable to detect any earthquake of M&lt;2.4, many of which were detected successfully by the DAS array. The seismometer also experienced a large number of false detections caused by spatially localized noise. We demonstrate that DAS has significant potential for local and regional detection of small seismic events using beamforming. The ubiquitous presence of dark fiber provides opportunities to extend remote earthquake monitoring to sparsely instrumented and urban areas.

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