TITLE:
Cryoseismologic Studies for Polar Environment—Recent Progress of Japanese Contribution
AUTHORS:
Masaki Kanao
KEYWORDS:
Ice-Quakes, Glacial Earthquakes, Dynamic Cryosphere, Cryoseismology, Climate Change, Polar Regions
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.12 No.1,
January
18,
2021
ABSTRACT: Majority areas of
Antarctica and Greenland are under the thick ice sheet and characterized by
evolving cryosphere surroundings. In the polar region, associated with the
recent trend on climate change such as global warming, glacier relating
earthquakes are increasing during this 21st century. In this paper,
a decade of progress in “Cryoseismology” at bi-polar regions is re-viewed by
focusing on the contribution from Japanese researchers. In particular, the
specific cryoseismic events are treated, which occurred in the coastal area of
East Antarctica, around the Lützow-Holm Bay, together with the coast and whole
inland area of Greenland. As the major scientific results, frequency-overtone
signals in the harmonic cryoseismic tremors were analyzed by assuming constant
sources, suggesting inter-glacial asperities that generate characteristic
tremors. Infrasound source locations were also determined by using the array
deployment at the coastal regions in the Antarctic. In contrast,
characteristics of glacial earthquakes and seismic interferometry approach have
been conducted so as to achieve the fine structure of the Greenland Ice Sheet
(GrIS) in particular the basal condition beneath the ice sheet.