loading page

Ambient Seismic Recordings and Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS): Imaging the firn layer on Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica
  • +3
  • Wen Zhou,
  • Antony Butcher,
  • Alex Mark Brisbourne,
  • Sofia-Katerina Kufner,
  • John-Michael Kendall,
  • Anna Stork
Wen Zhou
University of Bristol, University of Bristol

Corresponding Author:wz18709@bristol.ac.uk

Author Profile
Antony Butcher
University of Bristol, University of Bristol
Author Profile
Alex Mark Brisbourne
British Antarctic Survey, British Antarctic Survey
Author Profile
Sofia-Katerina Kufner
British Antarctic Survey, British Antarctic Survey
Author Profile
John-Michael Kendall
University of Oxford, University of Oxford
Author Profile
Anna Stork
Silixa, Silixa
Author Profile

Abstract

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a rapidly growing seismic technology, which provides near-continuous spatial sampling, low maintenance, long-term deployments, can exploit extensive cable networks already deployed in many environments. Here, we present a case study from the Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica, showing how the ice-sheet firn layer can be imaged with DAS and seismic interferometry, exploiting noise from a power generator and fracturing at the ice stream margin. Conventional cross-correlation interferometry between DAS channels yields an unstable seismic response. Instead, we present two strategies to improve interferograms: (1) combining signals from conventional seismic instruments with DAS; (2) selective-stacking cross-correlation. These steps yield high-quality Rayleigh wave responses. We validate our approach with a dataset acquired using a sledgehammer-and-plate source, and show an excellent agreement between the dispersion curves. The passive results display a lower frequency content (~3Hz) than the active datasets (~10Hz). A 1D S-wave velocity profile is inverted for the top 100m of the glacier, which contains inflections as predicted by firn densification models. Using a triangular DAS array, we repeat the noise interferometry analysis and find no visible effect of seismic anisotropy in the uppermost 80 meters of our study site. Results presented here highlight the potential of DAS and surface wave inversions to complement conventional refraction surveys, which are often used for imaging firn layer, and the potential in near-surface imaging applications in general.