Journal Pre-proof

Analysis of submarine seismic ambient noise data in Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea and
its application

Minzhe Luo, Siqing Liu, Xing Xu, Qingxian Zhao, Ruifeng Wu, Xianqing Wang,
Chenglong Wei, Songyong Yuan

PII: S2772-4670(24)00037-X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eqrea.2024.100311
Reference: EQREA 100311

To appear in: Earthquake Research Advances

Received Date: 28 December 2023

Revised Date: 24 March 2024
Accepted Date: 1 May 2024

Please cite this article as: Luo, M., Liu, S., Xu, X., Zhao, Q., Wu, R., Wang, X., Wei, C., Yuan, S.,
Analysis of submarine seismic ambient noise data in Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea and its application,
Earthquake Research Advances, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eqrea.2024.100311.

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 1 Analysis of submarine seismic ambient noise data in Bohai Sea and

2 Yellow Sea and its application

3 Minzhe Luo a,c, Siqing Liua,b,*, Xing Xua,b, Qingxian Zhaob, Ruifeng Wub,
4 Xianqing Wangd, Chenglong Weid, Songyong Yuane
a
5 Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou),

6 Guangzhou, 511458, China

b
7 Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou, 511458, China
c
8 Zhuhai Taide Enterprise Co., Ltd, Zhuhai, 519085, China

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Haikou Marine Geological Survey Center, China Geological Survey, Haikou, 571127, China

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10 Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, 101108, China

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Corresponding author: Siqing Liu, lsq13140307@126.com
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 1 Abstract：Submarine seismic ambient noise imaging combines current marine and on-land seismic

2 detection technologies. Based on data from several broadband shallow-sea type ocean bottom

3 seismometers (SOBSs) deployed in the Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea, this paper analyzes the

4 characteristics of the submarine seismic ambient noise and explores the theory, technology, method

5 and application of the submarine seismic ambient noise imaging by using the single point horizontal

6 and vertical spectral ratio method (HVSR). The observations yield the following results: 1)

7 Submarine seismic ambient noise has consistent and constant energy, making it an appropriate

8 passive seismic source for submarine high frequency surface wave investigation. 2) Using the

9 HVSR approach, a single three-component OBS could differentiate between the basement and

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10 sediments. Array seismic observation could be utilized to extract the frequency dispersion curve and

11 invert it to obtain the velocity structure for more accurate stratification. 3) The SOBS we use is

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suitable for submarine surface wave exploration. 4) Tomography results with greater resolution and

deeper penetration could be obtained by combining the use of active and passive sources in a
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14 simultaneous inversion of the HVSR and frequency dispersion curve. Seamless land-to-ocean
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15 seismic research can be accomplished with submarine seismic ambient noise imaging technologies.
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16 Key words：Broadband ocean bottom seismometer, Submarine seismic ambient noise, Horizontal

17 and vertical spectral ratio (HVSR), Surface wave exploration

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18 0. Introduction
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19 Seismic ambient noise imaging is a surface wave exploration method that records tiny

20 vibrations (micron scale) on the earth's surface, extracts the Rayleigh wave frequency dispersion

21 curve from the station array or calculates HVSR from a single station, and uses seismic imaging to

22 gain knowledge of the underground structure. Foreign research on microtremor exploration began

23 in the 1950s and 1960s (Aki, 1957; Capon, 1969), while China's research on related technologies

24 and methods started in the 1980s (Wang, 1986). Since the beginning of the 21st century, Japanese

25 scholars have systematically proposed the method of passive source high frequency surface waves

26 exploration——the earth pulsation (or microtremor) exploration method (Okada, 2003). This

27 method has become one of the research hotspots in geophysical exploration field at home and abroad.

28 Generally, the goal of surface wave exploration is to determine the underground S-wave velocity

29 structure. With a moderate instrument price, low operating costs, and non-destructive anti-
30 interference technology advantages, its related theories and technological methods have been

31 popularized in the fields of geotechnical engineering, urban active fault detection, transportation

32 track routing survey, mining area structure detection, and geothermal exploration, with good

33 application results (Pei, 2012; Yang et al, 2015; Tian et al, 2021; Lu, 2021).

34 In comparison to the development of land passive high frequency surface wave exploration

35 technology, the research advancement of submarine seismic ambient noise imaging technology at

36 home and abroad has been extremely slow. Therefore, there is a great deal of promise for using high

37 frequency surface wave exploration technologies with passive sources in scientific research and

38 marine surveys. A number of critical technological issues must be resolved quickly in order to

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39 investigate the tomography technology of submarine seismic ambient noise and broaden its study

40 and application domains. For instance: 1) What are the characteristics of submarine seismic ambient

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noise? 2) Can submarine ambient seismic noise satisfy the requirements of velocity imaging? 3)

Which kind of seismic equipment is most effective at recording information about submarine
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43 seismic ambient noise, and what are the key technological features and indicators of this device? 4)
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44 Which observation method (array or single station) is best suited for submarine passive source high
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45 frequency surface wave detection? 5) What information can be extracted from the observation

46 records in the submarine seismic array station (or a single station)? 6) Which marine survey issues
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47 can be resolved with the use of submarine seismic ambient noise imaging? The theory, technology,
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48 and methodology of subsurface seismic ambient noise imaging will be examined in this study, along

49 with a summary of its potential applications.

50 1. Geological background and data sources

51 The study "Broadband mobile seismic array observation in Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea"

52 provided the data for this study. The Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea are divided by the line that runs

53 between Lvshun Laotie Mountain in Liaoning and Penglai Hengshan in Shandong (Fig. 1). The total

54 area of Bohai Sea is 7.2×104km2 with an average water depth of 18m. The submarine sediments

55 mainly consists of sandy silt, silty sand, sandy mud, muddy sand, silty sand, silt, and sand, among

56 which sandy silt is the most widely distributed. The north Yellow Sea covers an area of 8×104km2,

57 with an average water depth of 38m. The submarine sediments are mainly consists of sand and silt,

58 with low clay content.

59 From southwest to northeast, sediment grain size becomes coarser. In the western North Yellow

60 Sea, it changes from coarse to fine from south to north, and again becomes fine nearshore (Geng,

61 1981). Since the Cenozoic, the Tanlu Fault Zone in eastern China has been the main controlling

62 tectonic structure for strike-slip rupture and basin evolution within the region (Hou et al, 2001).

63 The observation instrument is the shallow-sea type submarine ocean bottom seismometer

64 (SOBS) TDO-63B, which was developed by Zhuhai Taide Enterprise Co., Ltd. The instrument

65 mainly consists of 1) sensor unit, 2) signal conditioning unit, 3) timing control unit, 4) acquisition

66 and storage unit and 5) power supply unit, encapsulating in a corrosion-resistant, pressure-resistant

67 and water-tight chamber (Liu et al, 2020). Among which, 1) the sensor unit is a capacitive transducer

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68 feedback seismometer with three integrated components, a frequency spectrum of 30s-50Hz, and a

69 24-bit data collecting device. The sampling frequency is set to 100Hz, the maximum operating

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inclination is 30°, and the dynamic range is greater than 140dB; 2) the primary function of the signal

conditioning unit is to process the electrical signals collected by the sensor unit and record them
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72 into the acquisition and storage unit; 3) the professional high-precision submarine instrument timing
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73 system used by the timing control unit can supply SOBS with a time service accuracy of
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74 0.1ppm/30day; 4) the acquisition and storage medium is a 32G high-capacity memory card; 5) the

75 power supply unit is constructed with a large capacity lithium battery pack. (Xu et al, 2020).
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76 Based on the location of SOBSs in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, we selected data from three
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77 mobile stations (SOBS01, SOBS19, and SOBS23) to shed light on the ambient seismic noise

78 beneath the seabed in various geographical settings. Figure 1 depicts the stations' locations. The

79 study lasted from January 31, 18:00, to February 2, 18:00, 2019 (UTC) for a total of 48 hours.

80 Meanwhile, tide data from the same period was also gathered from Shandong Province's Shidao

81 Ocean Station in order to analyze the relationship between the seismic submarine ambient noise and

82 the ocean tides. Additionally, calculations were made for the resonance frequencies below SOBS23,

83 SOBS24, and SOBS25.

84 2. Characteristics of submarine seismic ambient noise

85 The analysis of characteristic of seismic ambient noise is the basis of high frequency surface

86 wave exploration in theories, techniques and methods. The ocean is the primary source for free

87 oscillations, microtremors and high frequency P-wave noise (Longuet-Higgins and Ursel, 1948).
 88 Seismic ambient noise is often defined as persistent disturbances on the seismic record map.

89 Additionally, there is a mild, non-seismic vibration that is constantly present near the surface of the

90 earth. The period of this vibration is between a few tens of seconds and a few tenths of a second,

91 with an amplitude of a few tenths of a micrometer to a few tens of micrometers. Utilizing the precise

92 instruments is the only technique to witness its presence. Seismic ambient noise is categorized as a

93 natural source signal, one of which has a signal period of less than one second and is produced by

94 human daily activities such as various mechanical vibrations, road traffic, etc.; the other is triggered

95 by natural occurrences that have a signal period longer than one second, such as the impact of waves

96 beating against the coast, river water flow, wind, rain, and changes in air pressure. While the latter

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97 can be utilized for deep earth investigation in the crust or even the upper mantle, the former can be

98 used for shallow ground structure exploration from tens to hundreds of meters. Earth pulsations are

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classified into two categories by Japanese scholars: pulsations are defined as earth tremors with a

period greater than one second, and constant microtremors, which have a duration smaller than one
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101 second. In the past, nevertheless, we in China referred to earth pulsation as a whole and occasionally
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102 separated it into short- and long-period categories, but the standards for classification were not
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103 consistent (Guo et al, 1999). This kind of noise is referred to as "earth pulsation" in our research,

104 and its features are analyzed primarily with respect to the seismic source, propagation characteristics,
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105 and environmental impact.

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106 During the study of the characteristics of submarine seismic ambient noise, foreign scholars

107 believe that the source of this signal is generated by sea-land coupling with the frequency band of

108 0.05~0.5Hz. Submarine seismic ambient noise is divided into two frequency bands: single-

109 frequency microtremors, also known as primary microtremors, with a frequency range of

110 0.05~0.1Hz (20~10s); and double-frequency microtremors, also known as secondary microtremors,

111 with a frequency range of 0.1~0.5Hz (10~2s). Hydrodynamic excitation at the boundary between

112 the sea and land is the source of the former signal, while the coastal and deep-ocean zones are the

113 source of the latter. The latter has a frequency that is double that of the former and an energy that is

114 far greater (Longuet-Higgins,1950; Hasselmann, 1963; Cicconi et al, 1983). The signal of secondary

115 microtremors can be separated into two types: long period double-frequency microtremors, also

116 called LPDFs, which are primarily from the coast and have energy concentrated in the band of

117 0.1~0.2Hz (10~5s); short period double-frequency microtremors, also called SPDFs, are from the
118 deep ocean and have energy concentrated in the band of 0.2~0.5Hz (5~2s) (Bromirski et al, 2005;

119 Zeng et al, 2014).

120 One of the main research topics in the technical approach of passive source high frequency

121 surface wave investigation is seismic ambient noise with a period of less than one second. The time

122 and frequency domains of seismic ambient noise signals are where we begin in this paper. We then

123 concentrate on the characterization and analysis of multi-dimensional submarine seismic ambient

124 noise from recordings made in three typical mobile submarine seismic stations spread out across the

125 Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea.

126 2.1 Noise signal analysis

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127 One of the key techniques for "noise signal analysis" is the time-domain signal analysis of

128 seismic ambient noise. We are able to obtain a better understanding of the properties of the

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submarine noise in the time domain by clarifying the changes in the "shape and magnitude" of each

component amplitude information over time and space. Figure 2 illustrates the 48-hour three-
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131 component seismic ambient noise amplitude maps for SOBS01, SOBS19 and SOBS23.
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132 The three typical SOBS share the following characteristics, according to tidal data from
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133 Shandong Shidao ocean station near the north Yellow Sea: 1) At the start and end of the day, the

134 ambient noise level is quite low; 2) Tidal variations have little effect on the noise level, which is
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135 assumed to be closely tied to changes in underwater current. The variations include the following:
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136 1) The amplitude magnitude of the ambient noise surrounding submarines varies with sea area; 2)

137 The morphological characteristics have no obvious rules; and 3) There is no discernible association

138 with time.

139 2.2 Noise power spectrum analysis

140 The noise power spectrum in a seismic record represents the noise level of the entire observed

141 frequency band (Zeng et al, 2014). To quantitatively describe the ambient noise level of the SOBS

142 in Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea, the noise power spectrum calculation method (Da et al, 1980;

143 Yu and Zhu, 2002; Ren et al, 2004) is used to transform the seismic record information (function in

144 time domain) into the Power Spectral Density (PSD, function in frequency domain), and then

145 analysis the noise power spectrum systematically. PSD is a conventional parameter for

146 quantitatively evaluating the environmental noise level of seismic stations, and it is widely used in

147 the evaluation of the environmental noise level combined with the global new high noise model
148 (NHNM) and the new low noise model (NLNM) (Peterson, 1993). Compared with the PSD method,

149 the Probability Density Function (PDF) method is more intuitive. The probability distributions of

150 seismic surface waves, instrument malfunctions, and recording interferences can all be obtained

151 simultaneously using the PDF approach, which eliminates the necessity for data screening

152 (Mcnamara and Buland, 2004). The three-component PDF distribution for SOBS01, SOBS19, and

153 SOBS23 is displayed in Figure 3.

154 The frequency band of these mobile SOBSs is 30s~50Hz. Figure 3 could provide the following

155 details: 1) The amplitude of the PDF ranged from -140 to~90dBm2/s4/Hz; 2) The majority of the

156 bands are located between the NHNM and NLNM curves (Peterson, 1993), with the overall

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157 tendency being close to the NHNM and some being higher than the NHNM curve, such as the

158 frequency bands of 0.33~3.3Hz (0.3~3s); 3) Each component's PSD curves are comparatively

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concentrated. The vertical component (Z component) is more concentrated than the horizontal

components (E and N components); 4) High frequency seismic ambient noise signals larger than
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161 1Hz are abundant and stable

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162 2.3 Analysis of noise Power Spectral Density over time

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163 It doesn't line up with the time frame of the signal's generation. We study the PSD time-period

164 variation characteristics of the typical SOBS and create 3D plane graphs with time as X coordinate,
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165 signal period as Y coordinate, and the maximum PSD value of the frequency point at each time as
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166 Z coordinate to represent the seismic ambient noise level in different time periods. Figure 4 shows

167 the three-component variations in acceleration PSD of SOBS01, SOBS19 and SOBS23 in 48 hours.

168 The frequency band of these mobile SOBSs is 30s~50Hz. The following information could be get:

169 1) The energy of the ambient noise is mainly concentrated in bands of 0.4~3s, the second is 8~10s;

170 2) There is a difference in the starting and ending time of the noise level in the high frequency bands,

171 which is related to the location of the SOBS; 3) At bands larger than 10s, the ambient noise level

172 dramatically decreased, and the PSD values for the BHZ components for single-frequency

173 microtremor (10~20s) are relatively steady.

174 3. Data processing of ambient noise imaging

175 Single station and array station approaches are among the acquisition techniques used in passive

176 source high frequency surface wave surveys. The single-point earth pulsation spectral ratio approach
177 (Nakamura, 1989), commonly referred to as the H/V spectral ratio method or the HVSR (Horizontal

178 to Vertical Spectral Ratio) method, is based on the earth pulsation signals collected by three-

179 component seismometers. The array station approach relies on the observation and recording of

180 earth pulsation signals by a set of stations (number ≥ 2) in order to identify submarine geological

181 features. Two methods for extracting the Rayleigh wave dispersion curves are Spatial Auto-

182 Correlation Method (SPAC) and Frequency-Wavenumber Method (F-K) (Tian and Ding, 2021). The

183 Vector-Wavenumber Transform method, also known as the F-J method, has been developed in

184 recent years (Park et al, 1999; Wang et al, 2019; Yang et al, 2019; Wang, 2019).

185 The HVSR method is used to extract the spectral ratio of the horizontal and vertical

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186 components signal in time domain from the three-components data from a single station, and obtain

187 the peak frequency (or resonance frequency) of the HVSR curve, which is also equal to the

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sedimentary layer predominant frequency. Furthermore, based on the relationship between the

resonance frequency of the HVSR curve and the thickness of the sedimentary layer (Seht and
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190 Wohlenberg, 1999), the thickness of the sediment could be calculated. The earth pulsation array
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191 station methods are based on vertical component signals with Rayleigh waves as the main basis of
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192 the signal. The inversion process is carried out by extracting the fundamental mode from the

193 measured dispersion curve. A combined inversion of the fundamental mode and higher modes may
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194 increase the accuracy of the underground medium identification in more complex subterranean
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195 situations. Only the single-point HVSR method's data processing criteria can be satisfied by the

196 SOBS data presented in this research.

197 3.1 The HVSR method

198 In this work, we extract the recording data from SOBSs 23, 24, and 25 located in the southern

199 region of the north Yellow Sea in order to compare the bedrock depth below the SOBSs. We then

200 use formula (1) to calculate the HVSR curves after converting the data from the time domain to the

201 frequency domain (Arai and Tokimatsu, 2004).

𝐻 𝑆𝑁𝑆 (𝑓)+𝑆𝐸𝑤 (𝑓)

202 =√ （1）
𝑉 𝑆𝑣 (𝑓)

203 In formula (1), SNS(f) and SEW(f) are the Fourier power spectrum of the north-south and east-

204 west components of frequency f, SV(f) is the vertical component power spectrum. Figure 5 illustrates

205 the HVSR curves of three mobile SOBSs.

206 3.2 Methods of peak frequency selection and thickness estimation

207 After calculating the HVSR curve, the peak frequency should be selected. For HVSR with a

208 single obvious peak, the peak frequency could be identified directly, which is also known as the

209 resonance frequency where the station located. For HVSR curves with two or more peaks, the

210 resonance frequency should be analyzed in combination with the actual topography, the basic

211 geologic data, and the drilling data (Zhang et al, 2020; Zong et al, 2020). As shown in Figure 5, the

212 HVSR curves of SOBS23 and SOBS24 are single-peaked with high and sharp appearances. The

213 multi-peaked HVSR of SOBS25 is believed to result from a high wave impedance ratio (>2.5)

214 between the underlying hard layer (bedrock layer) and the loose seabed layer (sedimentary layer).

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215 (Field and Jacob, 1993; Lache and Bard, 1994). Also, as the three SOBSs are relatively widely

216 distributed, the top surface of the bedrock varies greatly, and the resonance frequency values are

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discrete. The values are Z1, Z2, and Z3, respectively (Fig. 5). The resonance frequency from the

HVSR curve is generally utilized to estimate the depth of the interface between loose sediments and
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219 bedrock under the seafloor. Picotti et al. (2017) found an empirical relationship (formular (2))
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220 between the resonance frequency of the sedimentary layer (f0), the thickness of the sedimentary
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221 layer (h) and the average S-wave velocity (Vs):

222 h=Vs/4f0 （2）

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223 The basement surface depths at SOBS23, SOBS24, and SOBS25 are approximately 1077 m, 37
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224 m, and 16.7 m, respectively, according to formula (2). The resonance frequencies f0 of SOBS23,

225 SOBS24 and SOBS25 are 0.325Hz, 6.75Hz, and 15Hz, respectively. The average S-wave velocities

226 are assumed to be 1400m/s, 1000m/s, and 1000m/s, respectively (Xiong et al, 2023).

227 4. Discussion
228 4.1 Characteristics of submarine seismic ambient noise

229 Since there is no discernible relationship between the amplitude of the seismic ambient noise

230 over a 48-hour period and the tidal variations around Bohai and the north Yellow Sea, it is reasonable

231 to believe that the tides have little effect on the ambient noise. The irregularity of the amplitude and

232 morphology of the seismic ambient noise can be attributed to the high frequency of human activities

233 in the vicinity and its special geographic environment, and the noise generated by human activities

234 is dominant.
235 The frequency band of submarine seismic recordings is 0.03~50Hz (30s~50Hz). Among them,

236 the PSD of seismic ambient noise in the frequency band between 0.05~0.5Hz (2~20s) is

237 characterized by the following properties: most of the PSD values of the seismic ambient noise

238 signals are concentrated near the NHNM, and some of them are located between the NHNM and

239 NLNM. The seismic ambient noise of this frequency band includes the noise generated by the

240 coupling of sea and land, and the noise from the coast and the deep sea, indicating that the ambient

241 noise level recorded by the SOBSs is generally high. The PSD of seismic ambient noise in the

242 frequency band between 0.5~3Hz (0.33~2s) is characterized by higher PSD values than NHNM and

243 more concentrated energy, and the seismic ambient noise in this frequency band is mechanical or

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244 acoustic noise generated by human activities, and the nonlinear effect of gravity waves near the

245 station (Bromirski, 2005), or the superposition of specific-frequency earth pulsation signals from

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different source regions (Kopper and Burlacu, 2015). The PSD of seismic ambient noise in the

frequency band between 3~50Hz (0.02~0.33s) is characterized by the following properties: the PSD
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248 values are between NHNM and NLNM with concentrated energy. The density of the high frequency
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249 part attenuates with the increase of frequency. The noise of this band mainly comes from the human
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250 activities near the stations.

251 In the process of studying the time-frequency variation of the noise power spectrum within the
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252 observation band of three typical SOBSs, the seismic ambient noise is stronger during the time of
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253 frequent human activities. The main contributors to the noise are the SPDF in the second earth

254 pulsation and the disturbance in period of 0.4~3s generated by human activities, while the secondary

255 contributors are the LPDF in the second earth pulsation in period of 8~10s. The main reasons for

256 the special submarine seismic ambient noise come from several aspects: 1) The reason for the high

257 submarine ambient noise is that the SOBSs were not placed above the bedrock, but coupled with

258 the loose sediments on the seafloor. 2) The majority of ambient noise in submarines is constant. The

259 energy is steady and uniform. 3) As high frequency signals are attenuated during the water's

260 propagation process, the high frequency band energy greater than tens of hertz is comparatively

261 poor.

262 4.2 Selection of technical parameters for ocean bottom seismometers

263 The following four factors could be taken into consideration when choosing the primary

264 performances of OBS instruments and technical parameters, based on the technical requirements of
265 submarine surface wave detection, the field practical experience of TDO-63B SOBS in the Bohai

266 Sea and north Yellow Sea, and the analysis of the seismic ambient noise signal:

267 (1) Operational amplifiers and 24-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are now standard

268 technologies in microelectronics development and application. The dynamic range better than

269 120dB has become the standard as the data acquisition system of microprocessor management and

270 control has become the technical guarantee for modern seismic observation systems to achieve

271 "large dynamic range," "high resolution," "high precision," and other technical indicators. OBS's

272 built-in data format and the dynamic range and resolution of the instrument are somewhat correlated,

273 with SEED, SAC, and SEGY formats being commonly used in seismic data nowadays.

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274 (2) Piezoelectric geophones, moving coil sensors, and force-balance feedback seismometers are

275 the most common seismic sensors used in OBSs. The accelerometer flat-type sensor that is widely

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used for powerful seismic recordings or the detection of acoustic signals from the water is the
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277 piezoelectric geophone, also known as the hydrophone. 1~400Hz is typically the observation band.

278 Moving-coil sensors and force-balance feedback seismometers are velocity-flat sensors, which are
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279 generally used for micro-seismic recording, with a frequency band 120s~100Hz. In view of the
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280 observation frequency band and signal characteristics of submarine seismic information, the force-

281 balance feedback type sensors could be selected.

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282 (3) Two crucial variables in the collection of seismic data are "recording length" and "sampling
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283 rate." As per the sampling theorem, the lowest frequency that can be resolved is less than the

284 reciprocal of the recording duration, and the highest frequency that can be resolved is less than half

285 of the sample rate. A high sampling rate results in a large amount of data, which consumes a lot of

286 resources in the process of information transmission and storage. Combined with the submarine

287 seismic ambient noise characteristics, the wave field characteristics of the air gun shooting, the type

288 of sensor, as well as the technical needs of surface wave exploration, it is more appropriate to choose

289 the upper limit frequency for 100~200Hz and the lower limit frequency for 10~30s. Therefore, the

290 amplitude-frequency response is set within the range of 0.1＜f＜100Hz or 200Hz.

291 (4) A high-precision and highly stable clock is the quality assurance of seismic information

292 acquisition. The clock service for OBS includes timing and time-keeping. Usually, the GNSS

293 receiver is used to time the seismic acquisition system. The accuracy is nanoseconds. The key of

294 time-keeping depends on the stability of the crystal oscillator. When the temperature compensated
295 voltage controlled crystal oscillator (TCVCXO) is used for phase-locking, the clock accuracy

296 reaches 0.01ppm. If atomic clock technology is used, the clock accuracy could be better than

297 0.001ppm.

298 Referring to the key technical specifications of land node seismographs and ocean bottom node

299 (OBN) of professional manufacturers at home and abroad, for example, the Z700, Z3000 and Z100

300 type OBN of Fairfield Nodal from USA, Shenzhen Mianyuan Intelligent Technology Co. SMART

301 Solo IGU-BD3C-5 three-component broadband all-in-one seismometer, and the TVG-63 feedback

302 velocity broadband seismometer of Zhuhai Taide Enterprise Co., etc.. The author's team specially

303 tailor-made a submarine seismometer, TBO-33, for the observation of submarine ambient noise.

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304 The core technical indicators of this newly developed OBN are as follows: 1) the frequency band is

305 10s~100Hz (could be expanded to 30s~200Hz); 2) the dynamic gain is better than 140dB; 3) the

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working sensitivity is 1500V*s/m; 4) the sampling rate is 100, 200, 500Hz optional; 5) using
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307 TCVCXO voltage controlled crystal oscillator, the stability is 0.01ppm (if choose the atomic clock

308 chip, the stability could reach 0.001ppm). In addition, being flexible to varying inclination angles,
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309 the ease of connection to the seafloor, deployment, recovery, operation and maintenance, charging,
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310 and data downloading of OBN have all been taken into account in the structural design.

311 Like land node seismograph, OBN should have both active and passive source observation
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312 modes. Thus, a hydrophone is also required in the process of developing submarine seismic
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313 monitoring technology. Its main advantage is that it can potentially eliminate the ghost waves signal

314 in addition to enhancing the acquisition of high frequency data when paired with the seismic data

315 obtained from the geophone. Multiple waves might also be suppressed by superimposing the

316 hydrophone signal and the geophone's vertical component signal, which would enhance the

317 information in the converted S-waves (Zhang et al, 2015). By enhancing OBN's technical

318 capabilities with increased resolution and detection capabilities, the combined exploration

319 technology of active and passive sources for submarine seismic exploration broadens the technical

320 approaches for obtaining more abundant exploration information.

321 4.3 Technical Approach

322 The HVSR approach could be used to extract the frequency variation law of the ratio for the

323 horizontal and vertical components of surface wave particle displacement at a single station from

324 the seismic data acquired by three SOBSs in the southern section of the north Yellow Sea. The
325 location of the boundary between bedrock and loose sediments could then be calculated. However,

326 HVSR curve can only represent the surface wave properties in one-dimensional layered

327 homogeneous media, When a soft interlayer exists in the strata, the material inhomogeneity of the

328 strata sequence will lead to the HVSR curve containing more complex information, which will affect

329 the identification of the resonance frequency. Therefore, the HVSR method is only limited to the

330 identification of the top surface of the submarine bedrock, but could not be further stratified. In

331 contrast, the surface wave dispersion energy extracted by the microtremor array is more

332 concentrated, making it easier to detect velocity abrupt changes at the layer interface, which can

333 greatly reduce the non-uniqueness of inversion and obtain more accurate underground velocity

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334 structures (Xia et al, 1999; Luo et al, 2008). The seismic array station SPAC and F-K methods are

335 needed. As the submarine seismic stations cannot be deployed accurately according to the designed

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points, it is necessary to use underwater positioning (ultra-short baseline USBL or long baseline
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337 LBL mode) technique to accurately locate the submarine observation instrument. Due to the

338 influence of the submarine hydrometeorological environment, to accurately place the OBS in the
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339 predetermined position is very difficult, and the reliability is very poor. For the actual field situation
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340 of such seismic station arrays that can be precisely positioned but cannot be accurately placed, it is

341 more reasonable to adopt the vector wave number transformation method (VWTM, also known as
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342 F-J method). This approach has a good anti-interference ability, no specific arrangement
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343 requirements, and low needs for the deployment of the observation system. Therefore, the randomly

344 distributed and linearly arranged patterns are more suitable for the submarine seismic ambient noise

345 observation.

346 In view of the diversity of stratigraphic structure and complexity of material components in

347 loose sediments, in order to reduce the non-uniqueness of inversion, to improve the accuracy of

348 inversion results, and to enhance the quality of surface wave imaging, it is necessary to jointly invert

349 HVSR curves of a single station and dispersion curves of an array station. The two methods are

350 complementary. In addition to increasing the inversion depth, the combination of fundamental mode

351 and higher modes surface wave could enhance surface wave imaging's resolution. In submarine

352 detection, the technical difficulty is substantially higher than in land-based microtremor detection.

353 Additionally, the difficulty of the water will rise as its depth grows.

354 4.4 Applied Research

355 The method of using seismic ambient noise to invert underground S-wave velocity structure is

356 suitable for both land geophysical exploration and can be extended to marine areas. It may be

357 utilized for small-scale marine engineering as well as large-scale deep geological structure detection.

358 The following elements mostly represent its application fields.

359 Seismic ambient noise imaging is a multi-technique integration of high technology. It is

360 possible to choose an active source, passive source, or dual-source mode based on various

361 application conditions and detection targets. Exploration can be conducted in a variety of

362 environments, including the land, coastal zone, continental shelf, and deep water, by designing

363 various observation systems. The information of different geographical environments and different

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364 geological structural units is continuously collected to obtain different types of seismic wave

365 velocity information on land and under the seafloor, and reveal the composition of underground

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media and the spatial distribution of faults, breaking through the conventional sea and land
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367 geophysical exploration technology bottleneck, and realizing the seamless connection of seismic

368 exploration technology from land to sea.

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369 The characteristics of seismic S-wave are closely related to the density and intrinsic elasticity
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370 of the medium of the propagation path (Shearer, 2012), which contains information such as the

371 composition and structure of the medium of the propagation path. The S-wave do not propagate in
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372 the water, both the source and receiver must be placed on the seafloor (Gehrmann, 1984). Some of
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373 the early active source S-wave detection methods are only suitable for shallow waters, with

374 substantial technical complexity and high costs. Due to the structural limitations, active source OBS

375 could obtain the converted S-waves signals though, the high-quality information is hard to acquire.

376 It is an economical, scientific and reasonable technical method to extract surface wave dispersion

377 curve from submarine seismic ambient noise, or use the active source method to get the S-wave

378 velocity structure.

379 S-wave velocity structure can be used for sequence division of shallow and loose layers (Chen

380 and An, 2007). It is possible to acquire the velocity structure profile of the sandy sea area with hard

381 seabed material, which can offer superior marine geophysical data for assessing the

382 submarne resource reserves. By studying the S-wave splitting phenomenon, the anisotropy

383 information of the propagation medium, the spatial spreading of cracks (Wang et al, 2015) and deep

384 lithospheric tectonics (Ge et al, 2022) can be extracted. by using the S-wave velocity structure, the
385 spatial spreading of the thermophysical parameter in the strata can be converted (Tian et al, 2020),

386 etc.. This new type of S-wave exploration technology with distinctive characteristics has strong

387 promotion potential and wide application fields.

388 5. Conclusion
389 This work uses five mobile seismic observation records from the north Yellow Sea and the

390 Bohai Sea as its research objects. The following conclusions are drawn from a study of the theory,

391 practice, and application of submarine microtremor detection based on the HVSR method:

392 1. Submarine seismic ambient noise is distinctly different from land noise. The noise during

frequent human activities is stronger. The main contributor to the noise is the 0.4~3s band earth

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394 pulsation generated by human activities. while the secondary contributors are in band of 8~10s

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395 generated by the coupling of land and sea. The submarine seismic ambient noise signal less than 1s

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is even and stable, which is suitable for the submarine surface wave imaging.
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397 2. The HVSR method can only reveal the boundary between the sediments and basement, and
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398 estimate the location of the bedrock top surface depth. More detailed stratigraphic information needs

399 to rely on the array station method. Through the joint detection of active and passive sources, joint
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400 inversion of the fundamental and higher modes surface waves, higher resolution and greater

401 penetration of the surface wave tomography results could be obtained.

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402 3. After a comprehensive analysis of the technical requirements and performance of observation
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403 instrument, OBN was selected as the submarine noise detection instrument. Key technical indexes

404 such as clock precision, upper and lower frequency band limits and width, dynamic gain, sampling

405 rate and so on were clarified. When expanded to active-source or dual-source mode acquisition,

406 adding a hydrophone is essential.

407 4. Microtremor detection enables seamless seismic exploration from land to sea. It plays an

408 active role in marine engineering, environment, resource exploration and basic research in the

409 coastal zone. The technical means of effectively acquiring S-wave information can provide

410 important technical support for rock physics research.

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Fig.1 Location of SOBSs and seafloor sediment types in study area

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Fig.2 Typical submarine ambient seismic noise of SOBS01, SOBS19 and SOBS23 in
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Fig.3 Three-component seismic ambient noise PDF distribution of SOBS01, SOBS19
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and SOBS23 in 48 hours

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Fig.4 Three-component variations in acceleration PSD of SOBS01, SOBS19 and

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SOBS23 in 48 hours
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Fig.5 HVSR curves of SOBS23, SOBS24 and SOBS25 in the southern area of the

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North Yellow Sea

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Declaration of interests

☒ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships
that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

☐ The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered
as potential competing interests:

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