HR: 14:40h
AN: T52D-05    [PDF]
TI: Earth-Atmospheric Coupling Before Earthquakes by Analyzing Multi Parameter Satellite Data
AU: * Ouzounov, D
EM: ouzounov@eosdata.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/SSAI, MS 902, Greenbelt Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Freund, F
EM: ffreund@mail.arc.nasa.gov
AF: SJSU/NASA Ames Research Center, MS 239-20, Moffett Field, CA 94035 United States
AB: Satellite thermal imaging data indicate long-lived thermal fields associated with large linear structures and fault systems in the Earth's crust but also short-lived anomalies prior to major earthquakes. Because the short-lived anomalies come and go so quickly, the possibility that they would be caused by an actual heat pulse arriving at the surface from deep within the Earth can be ruled out. Despite the multitude of models, no comprehensive explanation has been offered until now that the science community found acceptable. Here we address some of the challenges posed by the short-lived thermal anomalies: (i) How can be identify the source and mechanism of the apparent surface temperature increase;(ii) How do the thermal anomalies correlate in space and time with the earthquakes and their epicenters; and (iii) How can we account for the rapid appearance and disappearance of the anomalous temperature field. This work is presented here only as an introduction to answer these questions. First we present several examples of EOS Terra/MODIS and Aqua/MODIS land emissivity and atmospheric water vapor anomaly data that have been used to track mid-IR anomalies, which appear to be related to impending earthquake activity (M$>$5). Next, we touch on the question how transient shallow sea surface temperature anomalies (SST), which have been observed,may be related to impending major seaquakes. We are exploring the idea that SST or anomalous chlorophyll and salinity values that can be derived from IR satellite observations may correlate with the location of some shallow seaquakes. Lastly, we describe high resolution mid-IR emission (7-14 micron range) spectra recorded from the outer surface of blocks of rock, which were centrally loaded until failure. The spectral signature obtained leads to a better understanding of the physics of pre-earthquake "thermal anomalies".
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
DE: 7215 Earthquake parameters
DE: 8123 Dynamics, seismotectonics
DE: 8164 Stresses--crust and lithosphere
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting