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Session: Exploring the Frontier of Environmental Processes using Fiber-optic Sensing [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 10/9/2024

Time: 07:00 AM

Room: Stanley Park Ballroom

Fiber-optic Observations of Wind-induced Gravity Waves in Lake Ontario

The Great Lakes region lacks in-situ observations during the winter season due to surface instrument withdrawals (e.g., buoys) to avoid damaging them from extreme weather. As a result, there is a critical observational gap during a large period of the year. To circumvent that, we propose to use Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) measurements using telecommuting fiber-optic cable at the bottom of the lake as it can help acquire year-round observations in the lakes. Here, we installed a DAS interrogator along a telecom infrastructure between Toronto and Lockport to measure strains in the first 50 km of the underwater cable. The DAS array has nearly 5000 channels with 10-m spacing measured between May 2023 and March 2024. The preliminary results show that the DAS detected distinct signals from wind-induced gravity waves, including microseisms and infragravity waves. Especially, amplitudes of the microseisms between 0.2 and 2 Hz correlate to water level heights observed in Toronto and Olcott. In addition, the high-resolution measurements from this dense array also depict details of the wave motions, such as wave propagation, dispersion, and wave-wave interactions in the lake, providing unique observations for understanding the dynamic processes of the wind-driven waves. Such signals can further be utilized to monitor massive waves generated by storm surges, seiches, meteotsunamis, among others.

Presenting Author: Chu-Fang

Additional Authors