Multisensor, Microseismic Observations of a Hurricane Transit Near the ALOHA Cabled Observatory

Abstract

The generation of microseisms is investigated at the ALOHA Cabled Observatory (ACO) north of Oahu during the close passage of Hurricane Lester in September 2016. Sensors include a seafloor ALOHA pressure gauge at ACO, KIP seismic data on Oahu, and nearby wave buoys. Examination of frequency-direction spectra from wave buoys and numerical wave model outputs confirms two separate microseism generation processes: At frequencies <0.225 Hz, the microseisms are generated by swells from Hurricane Lester and Typhoon LionRock traveling in opposite directions in the vicinity of ALOHA. At higher frequencies >0.225 Hz, microseisms are dominated by waves originating from Hurricane Lester. The cross-over frequency (0.225 Hz) occurs where the ocean wave group velocity matches the Hurricane storm track speed. Correcting for impedance, the spectrogram for energy at ALOHA closely correlates with KIP. When opposing swells meet at a distance from the Hurricane Lester and ACO, the resulting microseisms also spread geometrically in propagation to ALOHA and KIP, effectively equivalent to 1/R2. At the microseism peak, 4 September, the dominant motions of KIP are observed with retrograde particle motion characteristic of Rayleigh modes, in both the radial-vertical and transverse-vertical sagittal planes at distances of ≲400 km from the eye. Otherwise, the energy on the transverse component is comparable to the radial component. We hypothesize that the observed transverse energy arises locally: (1) from the extended microseism source region near ACO and (2) and from scattering by dipping structure and anisotropy embedded in the crust during emplacement at the Pacific-Farallon ridge.