Analysis of Intraslab Predigital Earthquakes of the South-Central Alaska Region

I compare intensity data from 17 predigital intraslab earthquakes in south-central Alaska and digitized waveforms for nine of these events to similar data for the 24 January 2016 Iniskin and 30 November 2018 Anchorage intraslab events. Both the 2016 and 2018 events were associated with amplification of strong ground motion at distances of over 100 km from their epicenters, likely due to the velocity structure associated with flat slab subduction in the region as well as the thick sedimentary sequence found within the Cook Inlet basin. Six of the predigital events also appear to have similar amplification of strong ground motion. Waveform comparisons suggest the 4 May 1934 Prince William Sound and 3 October 1954 Kenai Peninsula events had similar focal mechanisms and depths to the 30 November 2018 Anchorage event. Earthquakes occurring in regions where the P-wave velocity of the slab exceeds 7.5 km/s tend to be associated with higher strong ground motions.

Ground‐Motion Amplification in Cook Inlet Region, Alaska, from Intermediate‐Depth Earthquakes, Including the 2018 Mw 7.1 Anchorage Earthquake

We measure pseudospectral and peak ground motions from 44 intermediate‐depth Mw≥4.9 earthquakes in the Cook Inlet region of southern Alaska, including those from the 2018 Mw 7.1 earthquake near Anchorage, to identify regional amplification features (0.1–5 s period). Ground‐motion residuals are computed with respect to an empirical ground‐motion model for intraslab subduction earthquakes, and we compute bias, between‐, and within‐event terms through a linear mixed‐effects regression. Between‐event residuals are analyzed to assess the relative source characteristics of the Cook Inlet earthquakes and suggest a difference in the scaling of the source with depth, relative to global observations. The within‐event residuals are analyzed to investigate regional amplification, and various spatial patterns manifest, including correlations of amplification with depth of the Cook Inlet basin and varying amplifications east and west of the center of the basin. Three earthquake clusters are analyzed separately and indicate spatial amplification patterns that depend on source location and exhibit variations in the depth scaling of long‐period basin amplification. The observations inform future seismic hazard modeling efforts in the Cook Inlet region. More broadly, they suggest a greater complexity of basin and regional amplification than is currently used in seismic hazard analyses.

Seismic Response of Cook Inlet Sedimentary Basin, Southern Alaska

Cook Inlet fore‐arc basin in south‐central Alaska is a large, deep (7.6 km) sedimentary basin with the Anchorage metropolitan region on its margins. From 2015 to 2017, a set of 28 broadband seismic stations was deployed in the region as part of the Southern Alaska Lithosphere and Mantle Observation Network (SALMON) project. The SALMON stations, which also cover the remote western portion of Cook Inlet basin and the back‐arc region, form the basis for our observational study of the seismic response of Cook Inlet basin. We quantify the influence of Cook Inlet basin on the seismic wavefield using three data sets: (1) ambient‐noise amplitudes of 18 basin stations relative to a nonbasin reference station, (2) earthquake ground‐motion metrics for 34 crustal and intraslab earthquakes, and (3) spectral ratios (SRs) between basin stations and nonbasin stations for the same earthquakes. For all analyses, we examine how quantities vary with the frequency content of the seismic signal and with the basin depth at each station. Seismic waves from earthquakes and from ambient noise are amplified within Cook Inlet basin. At low frequencies (0.1–0.5 Hz), ambient‐noise ratios and earthquake SRs are in a general agreement with power amplification of 6–14 dB, corresponding to amplitude amplification factors of 2.0–5.0. At high frequencies (0.5–4.0 Hz), the basin amplifies the earthquake wavefield by similar factors. Our results indicate stronger amplification for the deeper basin stations such as near Nikiski on the Kenai Peninsula and weaker amplification near the margins of the basin. Future work devoted to 3D wavefield simulations and treatment of source and propagation effects should improve the characterization of the frequency‐dependent response of Cook Inlet basin to recorded and scenario earthquakes in the region.

Summer temperature regimes in southcentral Alaska streams: watershed drivers of variation and potential implications for Pacific salmon

Climate is changing fastest in high-latitude regions, focusing our research on understanding rates and drivers of changing temperature regimes in southcentral Alaska streams and implications for salmon populations. We collected continuous water and air temperature data during open-water periods from 2008 to 2012 in 48 nonglacial salmon streams across the Cook Inlet basin spanning a range of watershed characteristics. The most important predictors of maximum temperatures, expressed as mean July temperature, maximum weekly average temperature, and maximum weekly maximum temperature (MWMT), were mean elevation and wetland cover, while thermal sensitivity (slope of the stream–air temperature relationship) was best explained by mean elevation and area. Although maximum stream temperatures varied widely between years and across sites (8.4 to 23.7 °C), MWMT at most sites exceeded established criterion for spawning and incubation (13 °C), above which chronic and sublethal effects become likely, every year of the study, which suggests salmon are already experiencing thermal stress. Projections of MWMT over the next ∼50 years suggest these criteria will be exceeded at more sites and by increasing margins.