Potentials and Challenges of Cryoseismology with Fiber Optic Sensing in the High Arctic: A pilot experiment in Hornsund, Svalbard
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866908967464075264 |
|---|---|
| author | Gajek, Wojciech Benke, Max Wüstefeld, Andreas Köhler, Andreas Bruland, Charlotte Hanssen, Alfred |
| author_facet | Gajek, Wojciech Benke, Max Wüstefeld, Andreas Köhler, Andreas Bruland, Charlotte Hanssen, Alfred |
| contents | Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) has emerged as a promising tool for environmental and cryoseismological studies, yet its performance under the extreme conditions of the High Arctic remains poorly documented. Here we report on a multi-season DAS experiment conducted across tundra and glacier environments in Hornsund, Svalbard, using 9\,km of fiber-optic cable. The study combines a description of the deployment strategy, instrumentation, and operational constraints with an exploratory analysis of the recorded data to assess the types of cryospheric processes that can be captured with DAS. We document logistical, environmental, and technical challenges and provides guidelines for future experiments, including issues related to coupling, noise sources, cable integrity, and seasonal accessibility. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the dataset can be used for detecting permafrost freezing using noise interferometry, locating icequakes and calving events, as well as monitoring runoff from river-induced seismic noise. The experiment provides a field-based reference for the design and interpretation of future DAS studies in Arctic environments and highlights considerations relevant for long-term cryoseismological monitoring. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_14226 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Potentials and Challenges of Cryoseismology with Fiber Optic Sensing in the High Arctic: A pilot experiment in Hornsund, Svalbard Gajek, Wojciech Benke, Max Wüstefeld, Andreas Köhler, Andreas Bruland, Charlotte Hanssen, Alfred Geophysics Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) has emerged as a promising tool for environmental and cryoseismological studies, yet its performance under the extreme conditions of the High Arctic remains poorly documented. Here we report on a multi-season DAS experiment conducted across tundra and glacier environments in Hornsund, Svalbard, using 9\,km of fiber-optic cable. The study combines a description of the deployment strategy, instrumentation, and operational constraints with an exploratory analysis of the recorded data to assess the types of cryospheric processes that can be captured with DAS. We document logistical, environmental, and technical challenges and provides guidelines for future experiments, including issues related to coupling, noise sources, cable integrity, and seasonal accessibility. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the dataset can be used for detecting permafrost freezing using noise interferometry, locating icequakes and calving events, as well as monitoring runoff from river-induced seismic noise. The experiment provides a field-based reference for the design and interpretation of future DAS studies in Arctic environments and highlights considerations relevant for long-term cryoseismological monitoring. |
| title | Potentials and Challenges of Cryoseismology with Fiber Optic Sensing in the High Arctic: A pilot experiment in Hornsund, Svalbard |
| topic | Geophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.14226 |