Ambient Seismic Recordings and Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS):
Imaging the firn layer on Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica
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.