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Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise

I. D. Kelly Orcid Logo, A. M. Reading Orcid Logo, T. Stål Orcid Logo, Bernd Kulessa Orcid Logo, A. García‐Jerez Orcid Logo, J. Piña‐Flores, E. Paolucci Orcid Logo, A. Tanzini, R. J. Turner Orcid Logo, J. C. Magyar, A. P. Bassom Orcid Logo

Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Volume: 131, Issue: 6, Start page: e2025JB033029

Swansea University Author: Bernd Kulessa Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1029/2025jb033029

Abstract

Interactions between the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the underlying solid Earth occur within the ice‐bedrock interface zone (IBIZ), containing structures of sediments and rocks that strongly influence ice sheet dynamics. Existing insights into the Antarctic IBIZ come primarily from interpretations of ai...

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Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
ISSN: 2169-9313 2169-9356
Published: American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa72108
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spelling 2026-06-18T12:08:22.6430158 v2 72108 2026-06-18 Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise 52acda616e9f6073cbebf497def874c9 0000-0002-4830-4949 Bernd Kulessa Bernd Kulessa true false 2026-06-18 BGPS Interactions between the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the underlying solid Earth occur within the ice‐bedrock interface zone (IBIZ), containing structures of sediments and rocks that strongly influence ice sheet dynamics. Existing insights into the Antarctic IBIZ come primarily from interpretations of airborne geophysical data and active seismic measurements, which require significant logistics. Passive seismic methods provide a lower cost, lower resolution alternative for subglacial mapping, with the potential for continuous remote monitoring. Here, we utilize horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral ratios (HVSRs) of seismic ambient noise to infer the presence of subglacial low‐velocity zones generated by unlithified sediments or porous, water saturated sedimentary rocks, using existing data from over 80 broadband stations across Antarctica. From 1‐D forward modeling, we identify a decrease in synthetic HVSR peak frequencies dependent on the thickness and S‐wave velocity () of the low‐velocity zone unrelated to seismic wavefield conditions. This sensitivity in HVSR peak frequencies is validated by the agreement between synthetic and observed HVSRs at Antarctic stations with independent prior constraints on subglacial structure. Our observed HVSR analysis additionally reveals a widespread seasonality in observed HVSR amplitudes between 0.2 and 1 Hz that correlates with sea ice evolution and the modulation of secondary microseism energies in the Southern Ocean. From the decrease in observed HVSR peak frequencies, we infer the likelihood of subglacial low‐velocity zones across Antarctica along major passive seismic transects, mapping to key subglacial sedimentary basins. We provide practical recommendations for future HVSR applications to infer subglacial low‐velocity zones reliably. Journal Article Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 131 6 e2025JB033029 American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2169-9313 2169-9356 Antarctica, seismic, noise, subglacial, HVSR 4 6 2026 2026-06-04 10.1029/2025jb033029 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee This work was funded through the Australian Research Council (ARC) project DP190100418, with additional support through ARC DP210100834 and the ARC Special Research Initiative, Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, SR200100008. I. D. Kelly acknowledges a co-funded Tasmania Graduate Research and Research Training Program Scholarship and the Antarctic Science PhD Scholar Support Grant from the Antarctic Science Foundation. Open access publishing facilitated by University of Tasmania, as part of the Wiley - University of Tasmania agreement via the Council of Australasian University Librarians. 2026-06-18T12:08:22.6430158 2026-06-18T12:01:11.9242595 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Geography I. D. Kelly 0000-0002-5511-078X 1 A. M. Reading 0000-0002-9316-7605 2 T. Stål 0000-0002-4323-6748 3 Bernd Kulessa 0000-0002-4830-4949 4 A. García‐Jerez 0000-0002-8971-7467 5 J. Piña‐Flores 6 E. Paolucci 0000-0002-7762-7608 7 A. Tanzini 8 R. J. Turner 0000-0002-4376-5455 9 J. C. Magyar 10 A. P. Bassom 0000-0003-3275-7801 11 72108__36994__2406e474ba4849cab01bf38aed3875a2.pdf 72108.VOR.pdf 2026-06-18T12:06:10.6183947 Output 42180115 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise
spellingShingle Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise
Bernd Kulessa
title_short Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise
title_full Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise
title_fullStr Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise
title_full_unstemmed Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise
title_sort Determining the Character of Subglacial Sediments in the Ice‐Bedrock Interface Zone of Antarctica Using Horizontal‐to‐Vertical Spectral Ratios (HVSRs) of Seismic Ambient Noise
author_id_str_mv 52acda616e9f6073cbebf497def874c9
author_id_fullname_str_mv 52acda616e9f6073cbebf497def874c9_***_Bernd Kulessa
author Bernd Kulessa
author2 I. D. Kelly
A. M. Reading
T. Stål
Bernd Kulessa
A. García‐Jerez
J. Piña‐Flores
E. Paolucci
A. Tanzini
R. J. Turner
J. C. Magyar
A. P. Bassom
format Journal article
container_title Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
container_volume 131
container_issue 6
container_start_page e2025JB033029
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 2169-9313
2169-9356
doi_str_mv 10.1029/2025jb033029
publisher American Geophysical Union (AGU)
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Geography{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Geography
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Interactions between the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the underlying solid Earth occur within the ice‐bedrock interface zone (IBIZ), containing structures of sediments and rocks that strongly influence ice sheet dynamics. Existing insights into the Antarctic IBIZ come primarily from interpretations of airborne geophysical data and active seismic measurements, which require significant logistics. Passive seismic methods provide a lower cost, lower resolution alternative for subglacial mapping, with the potential for continuous remote monitoring. Here, we utilize horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral ratios (HVSRs) of seismic ambient noise to infer the presence of subglacial low‐velocity zones generated by unlithified sediments or porous, water saturated sedimentary rocks, using existing data from over 80 broadband stations across Antarctica. From 1‐D forward modeling, we identify a decrease in synthetic HVSR peak frequencies dependent on the thickness and S‐wave velocity () of the low‐velocity zone unrelated to seismic wavefield conditions. This sensitivity in HVSR peak frequencies is validated by the agreement between synthetic and observed HVSRs at Antarctic stations with independent prior constraints on subglacial structure. Our observed HVSR analysis additionally reveals a widespread seasonality in observed HVSR amplitudes between 0.2 and 1 Hz that correlates with sea ice evolution and the modulation of secondary microseism energies in the Southern Ocean. From the decrease in observed HVSR peak frequencies, we infer the likelihood of subglacial low‐velocity zones across Antarctica along major passive seismic transects, mapping to key subglacial sedimentary basins. We provide practical recommendations for future HVSR applications to infer subglacial low‐velocity zones reliably.
published_date 2026-06-04T05:34:11Z
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score 11.109323

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