Automating long-term glacier dynamics monitoring using single-station seismological observations and fuzzy logic classification: a case study from Spitsbergen

ABSTRACT Retreating glaciers are a consequence of a warming climate. Thus, numerous monitoring campaigns are being carried out to increase understanding of this on-going process. One phenomenon related to dynamic glacial changes is glacier-induced seismicity; however, weak seismic events are difficu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Authors: GAJEK, W., TROJANOWSKI, J., MALINOWSKI, M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2017
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.25
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143017000259
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Summary:ABSTRACT Retreating glaciers are a consequence of a warming climate. Thus, numerous monitoring campaigns are being carried out to increase understanding of this on-going process. One phenomenon related to dynamic glacial changes is glacier-induced seismicity; however, weak seismic events are difficult to record due to the sparse seismological network in arctic areas. We have developed an automatic procedure capable of detecting glacier-induced seismic events using records from a single permanent seismological station. To distinguish between glacial and non-glacial signals, we developed a fuzzy logic algorithm based on the signal frequency and energy flow analysis. We studied the long-term changes in glacier-induced seismicity in Hornsund (southern Spitsbergen) and in Kongsfjorden (western Spitsbergen). We found that the number of detected glacial-origin events in the Hornsund dataset over the years 2013-14 has doubled. In the Kongsfjorden dataset, we observed a steady increase in the number of glacier-induced events with each year. We also observed that the seasonal event distribution correlates best with 1 month lagged temperatures, and that extreme rain events can intensify seismic emissions. Our study demonstrates the possibility of using long-term seismological observations from a single permanent station to automatically monitor the dynamic activity of nearby glaciers and retrieve its characteristic features.