Infrared and Laser Engineering, Volume. 54, Issue 4, 20250061(2025)

Application of distributed acoustic sensing in seismic passive imaging (invited)

Song WANG1,2, Zhenghong SONG1, and Lina ZHANG3、*
Author Affiliations
  • 1State Key Laboratory of Precision Geodesy , Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, CAS, Wuhan 430077, China
  • 2College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • 3Institute of Seismology, China Earthquake Administration, Wuhan 430071, China
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    Significance Distributed Fiber-optic Seismic Sensing (DFSS) represents a cutting-edge seismic observation technology characterized by high spatial resolution, real-time monitoring capabilities, and reduced operational costs. These attributes grant it unparalleled advantages in traditionally challenging environments such as urban areas, boreholes, glaciers, and oceans. By enabling high-density data acquisition and high-resolution shallow structure imaging, DFSS has revolutionized seismic monitoring. Its ability to contribute to fault detection, site-effect analysis, and seismic risk evaluation showcases its transformative potential in disaster prevention, resource exploration, and environmental monitoring. DFSS's utility extends to detecting seismic events, facilitating ground motion estimation, and yielding fine-scale subsurface structural details.ProgressIn seismological research, natural earthquakes and seismic ambient noise are collectively referred to as passive sources. Passive imaging is a method that utilizes continuous seismic signals from natural sources to obtain structural information about the subsurface medium. Ambient noise imaging, focusing on low-amplitude, less distinct fluctuations, is crucial in geophysics. While seismic signals originate from natural events and human activities, ambient noise, categorized by frequency, exhibits smaller amplitudes. Low-frequency noise (<1 Hz) stems from natural sources like ocean waves, while high-frequency noise (>1 Hz) arises from human activities. Since the 1 950 s, researchers have extracted valuable insights from ambient noise, with advancements enabling Green's function calculations for Earth imaging. Compared to traditional seismic methods, ambient noise imaging reduces uncertainties in source characteristics and provides high-resolution structural images, making it a critical tool in seismic exploration and monitoring. DFSS-based ambient noise imaging began in 2017, with early studies validating its feasibility. ZENG et al. extracted high-frequency Rayleigh wave signals using background noise, confirming DFSS’s potential for seismic imaging. Subsequent studies, like DOU et al. 's traffic noise analysis, revealed subsurface variations such as moisture and permafrost changes. Significant advances were achieved using urban fiber optic cables, as demonstrated by AJO-FRANKLIN's high-resolution imaging of shallow velocity structures. Innovations such as frequency-Bessel function imaging and multi-modal dispersion extraction improved DFSS accuracy and applicability, especially in urban and geologically complex areas. DFSS has broad applications in disaster prevention, resource exploration, and environmental monitoring. It enhances fault imaging and site-effect studies, aids seismic hazard assessment, and improves geothermal and oil resource exploration with cost-effective high-resolution imaging. DFSS excels in extreme environments, monitoring glaciers, oceanic sediments, and fault zones. By leveraging submarine cables for seismic and oceanographic studies, DFSS has become indispensable in geosciences, offering high spatial resolution and cost efficiency, with promising future applications in disaster mitigation and environmental research.Conclusions and Prospects DFSS is rapidly emerging as a critical tool for seismic imaging and monitoring. Future developments in data quality enhancement, algorithm optimization, and integration with complementary geophysical methods are expected to address existing challenges and expand its applications. The prospects for DFSS include multi-parameter imaging, dynamic monitoring, and planetary science applications. By enabling detailed seismic risk assessments and precise subsurface imaging, DFSS holds immense potential for contributing to global disaster mitigation, resource management, and environmental studies. It is anticipated to become indispensable in high-resolution seismic research and its interdisciplinary extensions.

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    Song WANG, Zhenghong SONG, Lina ZHANG. Application of distributed acoustic sensing in seismic passive imaging (invited)[J]. Infrared and Laser Engineering, 2025, 54(4): 20250061

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    Paper Information

    Category: Invited review

    Received: Jan. 17, 2025

    Accepted: --

    Published Online: May. 16, 2025

    The Author Email: Lina ZHANG (zhangln57@outlook.com)

    DOI:10.3788/IRLA20250061

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