The ocean’s seismic hum

Authors

Sharon Kedar and Frank H. Webb (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA)

Published in

Science

Publication date

04 February 2005

Abstract

The first seismometers capable of measuring ground vibrations with periods of several seconds were installed in the early 20th century. Since then, the devices have recorded a continuous seismic hum, called “ocean microseisms.” This hum is not the result of tectonic forces, but rather the response of the solid Earth to ocean wave-wave interactions, which have an annual global cumulative seismic energy comparable to that from earthquakes. Long considered noise by seismologists, ocean microseisms have recently been found to be a useful resource for the interdisciplinary study of our planet.