Using an infrasonic method to monitor the destruction of glaciers in Arctic conditions

Abstract

We study the application of an infrasonic method to detect infrasonic acoustic emission caused by the destruction of glaciers in the Arctic. We consider the main approaches and methods for automatic signal detection from the data of infrasonic microarrays from the viewpoint of their practical use in conditions of frequent and significant variations in the noise level characteristics of the Arctic coast. We propose a novel method for the automatic detection of infrasonic events based on representation of a plane wave signal and adaptive estimation of the noise level. The method makes it possible to detect signals with a small number of sensors (up to three) in the specific conditions of the Arctic coast. We present the results of infrasonic monitoring of the destruction of Icefjord outlet glaciers (Spitsbergen archipelago) carried out by the Kola Branch of the RAS Geophysical Survey in 2011–2012.