Scientists have long known that waves in the ocean can cause microscopic shaking of the lithosphere. However, over the past decades, they have noticed that it is getting stronger. This is associated with global warming.
How waves in the ocean affect seismic activity
The waves in the ocean make the Earth shudder more and more. This is stated in a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. Scientists analyzed the data obtained from sensitive seismographs located on the seafloor.
The fact that the waves that rush back and forth across the ocean cause tiny seismic vibrations has been known for a long time. Seismic waves in the lithosphere actually generate absolutely everything: wind, volcanic eruptions and even human activity.
The influence of ocean waves on the Earth’s lithosphere is very small, but always noticeable. The waves propagate underwater, press on the ocean floor and cause shaking of the seismometer arrows.
Two types of waves
In fact, scientists distinguish as many as two different effects of ocean waves on the seismic situation. Secondary manifestations affect it much more strongly. They arise when several types of waves interact with each other. At this moment, a resonance may occur, which will have a large amplitude.
On seismographs, these impacts are displayed as shaking within a period of 8 to 14 seconds. Despite the fact that they are quite noticeable, they are not always observed and are not everywhere. But the primary influence is felt by all researchers of the sea floor.
It actually arises from the fact that single underwater waves hit the floor. It is felt especially strongly where the depth does not reach 300 meters. Seismographs record it as a steady hum with a period of 14 to 20 seconds.
Increased shaking
Scientists note an increase in both types of impacts. They analyzed the records of 52 seismic sensors that had been operating on the sea floor for several decades and found that in the indications of 41 of them, the familiar shaking was amplified.
Moreover, it increases with acceleration. If in the last decades of the twentieth century, the amplitude of fluctuations increased by an average of 0.27 percent, then since 2000, the increase has already been 0.35 percent.
Traditionally, fluctuations from waves near the Antarctic Peninsula have the greatest energy. However, it has been found that their amplitude grows the most in the North Atlantic. And this is a very worrying sign. After all, the water temperature is likely to increase here, according to other studies.
An increase in the temperature of the water in the ocean may be the cause of increased fluctuations. According to scientists, global warming is to blame. The more energy the water absorbs, the stronger the waves produce in the ocean and the greater the impact they have on the seismic.
Actually, the increase in shaking does not threaten people. However, it is direct evidence of dangerous processes. Because the waves in the ocean sooner or later turn into storms and hurricanes. And they can pose a considerable threat to coastal areas.
According to phys.org
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