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Effect of ocean eddies on seismic T waves
Shane Zhang1, Shirui Peng1, Haakon L L Ervik1
1Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
JASA Express Letters
|December 8, 2025
Summary
Earthquake-generated T waves traveling through the ocean are altered by underwater eddies. Analyzing these T wave changes can enhance the spatial resolution of deep-ocean temperature measurements.
Area of Science:
- Ocean acoustics
- Seismology
- Geophysics
Background:
- Earthquakes generate T waves, which are sound waves propagating through the ocean.
- The seismic-to-acoustic conversion region influences T wave complexity.
- Ocean eddies can significantly modify T wave propagation due to sound speed anomalies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how ocean eddies affect T wave propagation.
- To explore the potential of using T wave multipath propagation for oceanographic studies.
Main Methods:
- Analyzing T wave propagation patterns through regions with ocean eddies.
- Investigating the relationship between T wave waveform complexity and eddy characteristics.
Main Results:
- T wave waveforms exhibit complex, eddy-dependent interference patterns due to multipath propagation.
- Sound speed anomalies in eddies cause arrival time shifts and phase shifts in T waves.
- The modification of T waves by eddies is substantial and related to eddy width.
Conclusions:
- T wave propagation is significantly influenced by ocean eddies.
- Leveraging T wave multipath propagation offers a novel method for improving spatial resolution of deep-ocean temperature change estimates.
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