1. Global quieting of high-frequency seismic noise due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures.
- Author
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Lecocq T, Hicks SP, Van Noten K, van Wijk K, Koelemeijer P, De Plaen RSM, Massin F, Hillers G, Anthony RE, Apoloner MT, Arroyo-Solórzano M, Assink JD, Büyükakpınar P, Cannata A, Cannavo F, Carrasco S, Caudron C, Chaves EJ, Cornwell DG, Craig D, den Ouden OFC, Diaz J, Donner S, Evangelidis CP, Evers L, Fauville B, Fernandez GA, Giannopoulos D, Gibbons SJ, Girona T, Grecu B, Grunberg M, Hetényi G, Horleston A, Inza A, Irving JCE, Jamalreyhani M, Kafka A, Koymans MR, Labedz CR, Larose E, Lindsey NJ, McKinnon M, Megies T, Miller MS, Minarik W, Moresi L, Márquez-Ramírez VH, Möllhoff M, Nesbitt IM, Niyogi S, Ojeda J, Oth A, Proud S, Pulli J, Retailleau L, Rintamäki AE, Satriano C, Savage MK, Shani-Kadmiel S, Sleeman R, Sokos E, Stammler K, Stott AE, Subedi S, Sørensen MB, Taira T, Tapia M, Turhan F, van der Pluijm B, Vanstone M, Vergne J, Vuorinen TAT, Warren T, Wassermann J, and Xiao H
- Subjects
- COVID-19, Humans, Pandemics, Quarantine, Activities of Daily Living, Coronavirus Infections epidemiology, Noise, Pneumonia, Viral epidemiology
- Abstract
Human activity causes vibrations that propagate into the ground as high-frequency seismic waves. Measures to mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused widespread changes in human activity, leading to a months-long reduction in seismic noise of up to 50%. The 2020 seismic noise quiet period is the longest and most prominent global anthropogenic seismic noise reduction on record. Although the reduction is strongest at surface seismometers in populated areas, this seismic quiescence extends for many kilometers radially and hundreds of meters in depth. This quiet period provides an opportunity to detect subtle signals from subsurface seismic sources that would have been concealed in noisier times and to benchmark sources of anthropogenic noise. A strong correlation between seismic noise and independent measurements of human mobility suggests that seismology provides an absolute, real-time estimate of human activities., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)
- Published
- 2020
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