Researchers Demonstrate Seismometer Can Detect Flood, Which Might Serve as an Early Warning System

Floods are a serious and rising threat across the planet. Using current techniques, it is difficult to pinpoint their beginning and development.

Seismic sensing reveals flood damage potential

(Photo : ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Seismic sensors, which are currently in place to detect earthquakes, might offer a solution to this problem, as per ScienceDaily.

Researchers demonstrated that a seismometer may detect a flood, such as the destructive one that struck Germany in July 2021, from up to 1.5 kilometers away.

This might serve as an early warning system, potentially saving lives and reducing damage.

They also discovered that measuring the flood's 'seismic imprint' in real-time offers information on its magnitude, velocity, and course, which might be utilized for future flood defense.

Seismic stations detect not just ground shaking caused by earthquakes but also signals released at our planet's surface such as explosions, landslides, storms, and, as the researchers discovered, floods.

Scientists converted an existing earthquake seismometer station in the town of Ahrweiler into a flood detection and tracking tool for this study.

They reproduced the deadly dissemination of the tragedy using seismological data from the moment of the incident up to the point where a power outage stopped the data stream.

They discovered that the seismometer physically portrayed the flood's path for one hour as it plunged down the steep curving valley through the German cities of Rech, Dernau, Walporzheim, and Ahrweiler.

The researchers were able to assess the flood's pace, extract information about the rising water level, and calculate the quantity of debris washed away by the flood by merging mathematical models.

Because the three existing water level monitors in the valley were damaged early on, this data was the sole systematic source of measured information about how the flood progressed.

When seismic data is analyzed, this approach gives vital information for optimizing flood behavior models for warning and rescue activities.

"If the data stream from that station had been accessible and analyzed as our research now reveals, vital real-time information on the scale and pace of the flood would have been available," said Dr. Michael Dietze of the University of Göttingen's Faculty of Geosciences and Geography.

"Because rivers restricted in valleys cause quick flooding on 10% of Europe's surface area, we may want to start thinking about new flood early warning systems," the expert further said.

The existing network of water level stations is insufficient to prepare for future catastrophes.

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The Benefits of Seismic Methods

In comparison to the other geophysical approaches we've discussed so far, seismic methods offer some different benefits and disadvantages, as per the UNLV Department of Geoscience.

It can detect both lateral and depth fluctuations in seismic velocity, a physiologically significant characteristic, and it can generate detailed photographs of underlying structural characteristics.

The response to seismic wave propagation is affected by rock density as well as several physical (elastic) constants.

As a result, any mechanism for modifying these constants (porosity changes, permeability changes, compaction, and so on) may, in theory, be demarcated using seismic techniques.

The Drawbacks of Seismic Methods

A survey's data collection might quickly become overwhelming.

Data is expensive to gather, and data acquisition logistics are more intensive than in other geophysical approaches.

Data reduction and processing can be time-consuming, necessitate specialized computer gear, and necessitate significant knowledge.

Seismic observation equipment is often more costly than equipment necessary for the other geophysical surveys discussed in this set of notes.

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