E. Fedorov

ULF/ELF magnetic field variations from atmosphere induced by seismicity

[1]xa0Local variations of the magnetic field in the ULF-ELF frequency range associated with seismicity are studied with the data of more than 3 a observations at Karimshimo complex observatory (latitude 52.83°N, longitude 158.13°E, Kamchatka, Russia). A wideband emission is found to start about 5 d before an earthquake and last until 5 d after it. Seismic ULF/ELF emission in the frequency range of 4–6 Hz as compared with the seismically quiet background has enhanced Phh/Pdd spectral ratio and reduced standard deviation of ellipse orientation angle and the ellipticity, and it has a more linear polarization. Parameters of this emission are studied for more than 30 individual earthquakes and statistically with the superposed epoch method. The reliability of the earthquake predicting hypothesis is verified, and the favorable parameters for the earthquakes together with those for ELF magnetic field are selected. The following earthquake parameters are favorable for this emission: depths H 5.5, and epicenter distances R < 300 km. The changes of natural ULF/ELF emissions during the periods of enhanced seismic activity are interpreted as the result of the excitation of additional ULF/ELF emissions in the seismic zone to the east of the observatory or the redistribution of lightning discharges with their possible concentration near the active crust fault. The earthquake prediction hypothesis is verified for the complex field parameter ΔS and proved to be successful.

Ionospheric Alfvén resonator excitation due to nearby thunderstorms

[1]xa0A theory of midlatitude Ionospheric Alfven Resonator (IAR) excitation due to random cloud-to-ground lightning discharges is developed. Electromagnetic wave radiated from the lightning discharges penetrates into the ionosphere, thereby exciting the shear Alfven and magnetosonic waves in the F region of ionosphere. The IAR arises due to wave reflection from the Alfven velocity gradients in the topside ionosphere. Typically, the ionospheric resonance cavity accumulates the shear Alfven wave energy with periods from 1 s to a few tenths of seconds. To proceed analytically, a suitably idealized plane-stratified model of the medium was used that ignores the magnetic field line curvature and dip angle but includes plasma conductivity variations with altitude. The thunderstorm centers distributed around a ground-recording station is assumed to be statistically independent sources of the lightning activity, which is a stochastic Poisson process. The lightning onset time and the current moment is supposed to be a random value, while the shape and duration of return strokes are deterministic. Model calculations of the IAR spectrum due to nearby thunderstorm activity were applied to interpret ULF observation made at Karimshino station (52.94°N, 158.25°E) in Kamchatka peninsula. It is shown that the sharp impulses which are in one-to-one correspondence with the appearance of the spectral resonance structure (SRS) in dynamic spectrograms can be the result from nearby lightning discharges followed by impulse IAR excitation. The correlation functions and power spectra of the IAR due to random lightning discharge process is studied both analytically and numerically. We found that the nearby thunderstorms in the range of 1000–2000 km make a main contribution to the SRS signature of the midlatitude IAR, whereas the remote/tropic thunderstorm activity is of minor importance. It is not inconceivable that there may exist other permanent mechanisms of the midlatitude IAR excitation, for example, the high-altitude neutral wind in the E region might also be operative.

Excitation of the ionospheric resonance cavity by thunderstorms

[1]xa0Excitation of the middle latitude ionospheric Alfven resonator (IAR) due to global thunderstorm activity is considered. The lightning discharges in thunderstorm centers are modeled in terms of a stochastic Poisson process. The lightning onset time and the current moment amplitude are supposed to be random values, while the shape of current moment is assumed to be a given function. Electromagnetic TM mode radiated from the lightning discharges penetrates into the ionosphere via mode coupling to the shear Alfven and magnetosonic wave modes in the E layer of the ionosphere. The ionospheric resonance cavity can trap and accumulate the shear Alfven wave energy with periods from one second to a few tenths of seconds, thereby exciting the IAR resonances. Using a simplified model of the topside ionosphere, we have analyzed a possibility for the IAR excitation far from the tropical thunderstorm region. The low-frequency power spectra of the IAR on the ground surface is studied both analytically and numerically. It is shown that the IAR power spectra exhibit spectral resonance structure (SRS) only during the nighttime conditions. Furthermore, it is found that the calculated spectra are one or two orders of magnitude lower than that observed at Karimshino station in Kamchatka region. This fact suggests that the SRS is not simply due to stochastic lightning discharge process but that some generation mechanisms for the IAR excitation at middle latitudes might also be operative.

The lower ionospheric perturbation as a precursor to the 11 March 2011 Japan earthquake

It is found that clear lower ionospheric perturbations appeared as a precursor to the 11 March 2011 Japan earthquake. This study is based on the observation of two completely different phenomena: (1) subionospheric very low frequency/low frequency propagation anomaly on the NLK (Seattle, USA) – Chofu propagation path, and (2) depression of magnetospheric ultra low frequency emissions observed on the ground (Kakioka, etc.). But, both effects are suggested to be interpreted by a unified phenomenon of seismo-lower ionospheric perturbation because they occurred on the days of 5 and 6 March, 2011.

The origin of spectral resonance structures of the ionospheric Alfvén resonator. Single high‐altitude reflection or resonant cavity excitation?

A common view is that spectral maxima in observed spectral resonance structures (SRS) of ionospheric Alfven resonator (IAR) at frequencies f<5 Hz are the signature of resonance frequencies of the IAR. We have studied not only spectra but also waveforms of magnetic fluctuations at IAR frequencies registered at Moshiri station (Japan) and have found that there exist two kinds of signals. The dominant type of signal is a pair of pulses which is caused by an initial exciting impulse and accompanied by a single reflection from the top boundary of the IAR. In the absence of reflection from the lower ionosphere, such signals are not resonant and hence are not caused by IAR excitation. The minority of cases are trains of three or more pulses separated by a nearly constant time interval reflected from both IAR boundaries. We have found that different kinds of signals in time domain may correspond to similar comb-shaped Fourier spectra. So different kinds of signals in time domain practically cannot be distinguished on the basis of their Fourier spectra. We have calculated waveforms and SRS structures of the magnetic field oscillations generated by a model lightning discharge and IAR resonant frequencies. Calculated IAR resonance frequencies can be in disagreement with those of spectral maxima of pulse trains. Then, an analysis of signal waveforms in time domain is highly required to estimate IAR resonance frequencies.

Flow instabilities in two-phase or supercritical crust fluids and its possible relevance to seismo-electromagnetic disturbances

Flow pulsations in two-phase and single-phase near-critical fluids are considered as a possible source of ultra-low-frequency seismo-electromagnetic variations. The conditions for generation and suppression of density wave instability in the crust are analyzed and the surface electromagnetic effect due to streaming potential generation is estimated. The upper limit of amplitude of magnetic field variations due to density wave instability is about 0.1xa0nT for single-phase supercritical and 1xa0nT for two-phase flow oscillations in the frequency range

Ionospheric Alfven resonance at middle latitudes: results of observations at Kamchatka

10^{-4}{-}10^{-2}~

Near-seismic effects in ULF fields and seismo-acoustic emission: statistics and explanation

10-4-10-2xa0Hz for the temperature gradients and spatial scales possible during strike slip events. The signal is characterized by a decaying amplitude with typical relaxation time of about several quasi-periods. The possibility of generation of very low-frequency flow pulsations in two-phase fluids via individual bubble evolution and interaction with external acoustic waves is discussed.