Francesco Chierici

Modeling of the hydroacoustic signal and tsunami wave generated by seafloor motion including a porous seabed

[1] Within the framework of a 2-D compressible tsunami generation model with a flat porous seabed, acoustic waves are generated and travel outward from the source area. The effects of the porous seabed during tsunami generation and propagation processes include wave amplitude attenuation and low-pass filtering of both the hydroacoustic signal and tsunami wave. The period of the acoustic wave generated by the seafloor motion depends on water depth over the source area and is given by four times the period of time required for sound to travel from the seabed to the surface. These waves carry information about seafloor motion. The semianalytical solution of the 2-D compressible water layer model overlying a porous seabed is presented and discussed. Furthermore, to include the effects generated by the coupling between compressible porous sedimentary and water layers, a simplified two-layer model with the sediment modeled as a compressible viscous fluid is presented.

NEMO-SN1 Abyssal Cabled Observatory in the Western Ionian Sea

The NEutrino Mediterranean Observatory-Submarine Network 1 (NEMO-SN1) seafloor observatory is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, Western Ionian Sea, off Eastern Sicily (Southern Italy) at 2100-m water depth, 25 km from the harbor of the city of Catania. It is a prototype of a cabled deep-sea multiparameter observatory and the first one operating with real-time data transmission in Europe since 2005. NEMO-SN1 is also the first-established node of the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory (EMSO), one of the incoming European large-scale research infrastructures included in the Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) since 2006. EMSO will specifically address long-term monitoring of environmental processes related to marine ecosystems, climate change, and geohazards. NEMO-SN1 has been deployed and developed over the last decade thanks to Italian funding and to the European Commission (EC) project European Seas Observatory NETwork-Network of Excellence (ESONET-NoE, 2007-2011) that funded the Listening to the Deep Ocean-Demonstration Mission (LIDO-DM) and a technological interoperability test (http://www.esonet-emso.org). NEMO-SN1 is performing geophysical and environmental long-term monitoring by acquiring seismological, geomagnetic, gravimetric, accelerometric, physico-oceanographic, hydroacoustic, and bioacoustic measurements. Scientific objectives include studying seismic signals, tsunami generation and warnings, its hydroacoustic precursors, and ambient noise characterization in terms of marine mammal sounds, environmental and anthropogenic sources. NEMO-SN1 is also an important test site for the construction of the Kilometre-Cube Underwater Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT), another large-scale research infrastructure included in the ESFRI Roadmap based on a large volume neutrino telescope. The description of the observatory and its most recent implementations is presented. On June 9, 2012, NEMO-SN1 was successfully deployed and is working in real time.

Annual acoustic presence of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) offshore Eastern Sicily, central Mediterranean Sea

In recent years, an increasing number of surveys have definitively confirmed the seasonal presence of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in highly productive regions of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite this, very little is yet known about the routes that the species seasonally follows within the Mediterranean basin and, particularly, in the Ionian area. The present study assesses for the first time fin whale acoustic presence offshore Eastern Sicily (Ionian Sea), throughout the processing of about 10 months of continuous acoustic monitoring. The recording of fin whale vocalizations was made possible by the cabled deep-sea multidisciplinary observatory, “NEMO-SN1”, deployed 25 km off the Catania harbor at a depth of about 2,100 meters. NEMO-SN1 is an operational node of the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory (EMSO) Research Infrastructure. The observatory was equipped with a low-frequency hydrophone (bandwidth: 0.05 Hz–1 kHz, sampling rate: 2 kHz) which continuously acquired data from July 2012 to May 2013. About 7,200 hours of acoustic data were analyzed by means of spectrogram display. Calls with the typical structure and patterns associated to the Mediterranean fin whale population were identified and monitored in the area for the first time. Furthermore, a background noise analysis within the fin whale communication frequency band (17.9–22.5 Hz) was conducted to investigate possible detection-masking effects. The study confirms the hypothesis that fin whales are present in the Ionian Sea throughout all seasons, with peaks in call detection rate during spring and summer months. The analysis also demonstrates that calls were more frequently detected in low background noise conditions. Further analysis will be performed to understand whether observed levels of noise limit the acoustic detection of the fin whales vocalizations, or whether the animals vocalize less in the presence of high background noise.

A new method to assess long‐term sea‐bottom vertical displacement in shallow water using a bottom pressure sensor: Application to Campi Flegrei, Southern Italy

We present a new methodology using bottom pressure recorder (BPR) measurements in conjunction with sea level, water column, and barometric data to assess the long-term vertical seafloor deformation to a few centimeters accuracy in shallow water environments. The method helps to remove the apparent vertical displacement on the order of tens of centimeters caused by the BPR instrumental drift and by seawater density variations. We have applied the method to the data acquired in 2011 by a BPR deployed at 96 m depth in the marine sector of the Campi Flegrei Caldera, during a seafloor uplift episode of a few centimeters amplitude, lasted for several months. The method detected a vertical uplift of the caldera of 2.5 ± 1.3 cm achieving an unprecedented level of precision in the measurement of the submarine vertical deformation in shallow water. The estimated vertical deformation at the BPR also compares favorably with data acquired by a land-based GPS station located at the same distance from the maximum of the modeled deformation field. While BPR measurements are commonly performed in deep waters, where the oceanic noise is relatively low, and in areas with rapid, large-amplitude vertical ground displacement, the proposed method extends the capability of estimating vertical uplifts from BPR time series to shallow waters and to slow deformation processes.

Measurement of Seafloor Deformation in the Marine Sector of the Campi Flegrei Caldera (Italy): A first image of seafloor uplift

We present an assessment of vertical seafloor deformation in the shallow marine sector of the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy) obtained from GPS and bottom pressure recorder (BPR) data, acquired over the period April 2016 to July 2017 in the Gulf of Pozzuoli by a new marine infrastructure, MEDUSA. This infrastructure consists of four fixed buoys with GPS receivers; each buoy is connected by cable to a seafloor multisensor module hosting a BPR. The measured maximum vertical uplift of the seafloor is about 4.2 ± 0.4 cm. The MEDUSA data were then compared to the expected vertical displacement in the marine sector according to a Mogi model point source computed using only GPS land measurements. The results show that a single point source model of deformation is able to explain both the GPS land and seafloor data. Moreover, we demonstrate that a network of permanent GPS buoys represents a powerful tool to measure the seafloor vertical deformation field in shallow water. The performance of this system is comparable to on-land high-precision GPS networks, marking a significant achievement and advance in seafloor geodesy and extending volcano monitoring capabilities to shallow offshore areas (up to 100 m depth). The GPS measurements of MEDUSA have also been used to confirm that the BPR data provide an independent measure of the seafloor vertical uplift in shallow water.

Status and results from cabled hydrophones arrays deployed in deep sea off East Sicily (EMSO-ERIC node)

Since 2005 a cabled deep-sea infrastructure is operative at 2100 m water depth, 25 km off the port of Catania (Sicily). The infrastructure, under continuous improvement, is the first operative cabled node of the EMSO-ERIC, hosting several multidisciplinary observatories built in collaboration by INFN, INGV, CNR, CIBRA, and other scientific partners. Hydrophones antennas, sensitive in the range of frequencies between 1 Hz and 90 kHz, have been installed on seafloor observatories. Acoustic data are continuously digitized in situ at very high resolution, time-stamped with absolute GPS time and sent to shore in real time, through optical fiber link. Together with biological sounds, noise pollution study and monitoring were the main goals of the research. Results of multi-year monitoring of anthropogenic noise are discussed. Focus of the analysis is the noise level in the octave bands centered at 63 Hz and 125 Hz, in compliance with the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The contribution of ship noise was...

A new real‐time tsunami detection algorithm

Real-time tsunami detection algorithms play a key role in any Tsunami Early Warning System. We have developed a new algorithm for tsunami detection based on the real-time tide removal and real-time band-pass filtering of sea-bed pressure recordings. The algorithm greatly increases the tsunami detection probability, shortens the detection delay and enhances detection reliability with respect to the most widely used tsunami detection algorithm, while containing the computational cost. The algorithm is designed to be used also in autonomous early warning systems with a set of input parameters and procedures which can be reconfigured in real time. We have also developed a methodology based on Monte Carlo simulations to test the tsunami detection algorithms. The algorithm performance is estimated by defining and evaluating statistical parameters, namely the detection probability, the detection delay, which are functions of the tsunami amplitude and wavelength, and the occurring rate of false alarms. Pressure data sets acquired by Bottom Pressure Recorders in different locations and environmental conditions have been used in order to consider real working scenarios in the test. We also present an application of the algorithm to the tsunami event which occurred at Haida Gwaii on October 28th, 2012 using data recorded by the Bullseye underwater node of Ocean Networks Canada. The algorithm successfully ran for test purpose in year-long missions onboard abyssal observatories, deployed in the Gulf of Cadiz and in the Western Ionian Sea. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.