Development of a User-Friendly, Low-Cost, Low-Power, Low-Noise, Lightweight, Self-Contained Infrasound Logging System

博伊西州立大学将开发一种新的地球物理仪器，以帮助研究火山、地震和山体滑坡等物质运动。这些事件在地面上产生地震波，在空气中产生压力波，其中包含有价值的信息，可以分析这些信息以了解这些经常危险的过程。然而，这些领域的数据收集目前受到仪器差距的影响：可用的记录仪器通常价格昂贵，安装起来可能很麻烦，因为它通常专门用于记录地面或空中的波，而不是两者兼而有之。虽然使用许多空间分散的传感器记录地面和空气传播波可以更全面地了解产生它们的地球物理过程，但由于缺乏负担得起的仪器，目前还不实用。在这个项目中，我们建议开发一种仪器，以促进地震和压力波的同时记录，是容易和经济的大量安装。此外，我们将通过在项目期间运营工具贷款池来传播该工具的好处。这将有助于地震学家记录更全面的数据集，从而更清楚地了解强大的危险事件。我们的项目将包括4-6名本科生和研究生助理，他们的职责包括电子设备的建造和维修、仪器测试、编程、文档编制和现场工作。地球物理数据记录仪将集成传感器，同时记录地震和次声信号;其低成本、低功耗和易用性将允许用户安装密集的记录网络并进行详细的分析。次声研究可以阐明地球科学中的许多现象，包括火山、爆炸、地震、泥石流、火山泥流和雪崩。然而，大多数次声研究受到仪器的限制，因为它的高成本，高功率要求，以及部署它们所需的专门培训。这些问题对于“大N”活动（其中通过记录非常大量的传感器来实现出色的分辨率）以及在偏远、敏感、危险或容易被盗的站点中的项目尤其成问题。Gem次声记录仪-唯一可用的集成次声传感器-记录仪-解决了这些问题，并支持了几个使用其他仪器无法实施的实地项目。此外，Gem的易用性有助于非专业人员将次声研究纳入多学科项目，从而产生创新的新应用。开发具有同时地震和声学记录能力（2通道，200 Hz和24位/通道）的下一代Gem模型将产生另一种独一无二的仪器，该仪器将为次声科学家提供地震背景，而无需额外的努力，反之亦然。拟议的仪器出借池将满足次声科学中尚未满足的需求：与地震学相关领域不同，现场活动可以从PASSCAL借用仪器，目前没有机构出借次声传感器。我们建议的贷款池将促进次声科学和记录的可能性，为科学家没有自己的现场仪器和次声专家进行大N运动。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

Boise State University will develop a new geophysical instrument to help study volcanoes, earthquakes, and mass movements such as landslides. These events create seismic waves in the ground and pressure waves in the air, which contain valuable information that can be analyzed to understand these often-hazardous processes. However, data gathering in these fields are currently impaired by an instrumentation gap: available recording instrumentation is typically expensive and can be burdensome to install as it is usually specialized to record waves either in the ground or air but not both. Although recording ground and air propagating waves using many spatially dispersed sensors could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the geophysical processes that create them, it is currently not practical due to lack of affordable instrumentation. In this project, we propose to develop an instrument to facilitate simultaneous recording of seismic and pressure waves that is easy and economical to install in large numbers. Additionally, we will disseminate the benefits of this instrument by operating an instrument lending pool for the duration of the project. This will help geophysicists record more comprehensive datasets that yield a clearer understanding of powerful, hazardous events. Our project will include 4-6 undergraduate and graduate assistants in roles like electronics construction and repair, instrument testing, programming, documentation, and fieldwork.The geophysical data logger will have an integrated sensors to simultaneously record seismic and infrasound signals; its low cost, low power consumption, and ease of use will permit users to install dense recording networks and perform detailed analyses. Infrasound studies may elucidate many phenomena in earth science including volcanoes, explosions, earthquakes, debris flows, lahars, and avalanches. However, most infrasound studies are limited by instrumentation due to its high cost, high power requirements, and specialized training needed to deploy them. These issues are particularly problematic for “large-N” campaigns (where excellent resolution is achieved by recording very large numbers of sensors), as well as projects in sites that are remote, sensitive, hazardous, or theft-prone. The Gem infrasound logger-- the only available integrated infrasound sensor-logger--addresses these issues and has supported several field projects that would not have been practical with other instruments. Additionally, the Gem’s ease of use helps non-specialists incorporate infrasound study into multi-disciplinary projects, leading to innovative new applications. Developing a next-generation Gem model with simultaneous seismic and acoustic recording capabilities (2 channels, with 200 Hz and 24 bits/channel) will result in another one-of-a-kind instrument that will provide infrasound scientists with seismic context with no additional effort, and vice-versa. The proposed instrument lending pool will satisfy an unmet need in infrasound science: unlike the related field of seismology in which field campaigns can borrow instruments from PASSCAL, no institution currently lends infrasound sensors. Our proposed lending pool will promote infrasound science and recording possibilities for scientists that don’t have their own field instrumentation and for infrasound specialists conducting large-N campaigns.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.