Geophysical Research Letters · 2005 · 143 citations · 11 references
GeophysicsFrequency BandPower Spectral DensityAcoustic EcologyEnvironmental MonitoringEngineeringAtmospheric AcousticAtmospheric ScienceGeographyNoise PollutionEnvironmental NoiseNoiseNoise AmplitudesGeophysical Signal ProcessingAmbient Infrasound NoiseEarth ScienceAir Mobility Noise
The study defines preliminary infrasound noise models to serve as baselines for evaluating ambient noise at current and new infrasound stations. Ambient infrasound noise was characterized across 21 globally distributed arrays in the 0.03–7 Hz band, with Power Spectral Density measured at one site per array during 21 intervals at four times of day from January 2003 to January 2004, and preliminary noise models were developed. Ambient noise at infrasound stations varies markedly by season, time of day, and station, with spectra differing by up to four orders of magnitude at a given frequency; median microbarom-level noise follows a smooth annual cycle peaking in local winter, and noise amplitudes are skewed toward larger values rather than normally distributed.
The ambient infrasound noise environment is characterized for 21 globally distributed infrasound arrays in the frequency band of 0.03 to 7 Hz. Power Spectral Density (PSD) is measured for one site of each array for 21 intervals at each of four times of day from January 2003 through January 2004. The ambient noise at infrasound stations is highly variable by season, time of day and station. Noise spectra for an individual station may vary by four orders of magnitude at any given frequency. Preliminary infrasound noise models are defined, which can be used as baselines for evaluating ambient noise at current and new infrasound stations. Median noise levels in the microbarom band centered on 0.2 Hz vary smoothly in an annual pattern, with most stations observing maximum noise during local winter. Noise amplitudes do not have a normal or log‐normal distribution, but rather are skewed to larger amplitudes.
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