Broadband Array for Seismic Studies

Broadband Array for Seismic Studies
Name	Broadband Array for Seismic Studies
Abbreviation	BASS
Type	Seismic research network
Established	1990s
Country	United States
Affiliation	National Science Foundation; Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

Broadband Array for Seismic Studies is a continental-scale network of long-period seismic stations deployed to record broadband ground motion for investigations in seismology, tectonics, and crustal structure. Modeled and coordinated alongside initiatives by the National Science Foundation, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, and academic partners at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and University of California, Berkeley, the array complements permanent networks run by agencies like the United States Geological Survey and research consortia including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. Data from the array are archived and distributed through facilities such as the IRIS DMC and used by researchers at centers like the Seismological Society of America, European Seismological Commission, and international programs including GEOSCOPE and Global Seismographic Network collaborators.

Overview

The Broadband Array for Seismic Studies was conceived to extend the capabilities of regional initiatives such as the USArray and project-specific arrays led by teams from Stanford University, Princeton University, Columbia University, and University of Washington. Designed to capture broadband signals from local and teleseismic events recorded by instruments comparable to those used by Japan Meteorological Agency networks and the Canadian National Seismograph Network, the array informs studies that intersect with research at the American Geophysical Union, European Research Council grants, and collaborations supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The project has engaged experts who previously worked on experiments at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Instrumentation and Network Design

Stations employ broadband seismometers similar to models manufactured by firms associated with Streckeisen, Nanometrics, and Güralp Systems Limited, paired with digitizers and data loggers comparable to those used by Quanterra and RefTek. Design choices were informed by standards from the International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks and interoperability with systems using protocols adopted by IRIS, Federation of Digital Broadband Seismograph Networks, and the Global Seismographic Network. Components include three-component broadband sensors, GPS timing from Global Positioning System satellites, and telemetry systems compatible with satellite links managed by providers used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and regional cellular backhaul comparable to services used by AT&T and Verizon Communications. Network topology considerations referenced methodologies from researchers affiliated with Carnegie Institution for Science, Brown University, and Yale University.

Deployment and Data Acquisition

Field deployments leveraged logistical frameworks used in campaigns by USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Center, and observatory teams at Icelandic Meteorological Office and Instituto Geográfico Nacional (Spain). Site selection involved coordination with landowners, tribal governments such as the Navajo Nation, and agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service. Data acquisition protocols mirrored practices from deployments by Scripps, University of Arizona, and University of New Mexico teams, ensuring seismic noise characterization drawing on studies by researchers at University of Colorado Boulder and Purdue University. Portable power solutions and vault construction followed best practices documented by engineers from Sandia National Laboratories and Argonne National Laboratory.

Processing and Analysis Methods

Signal processing pipelines incorporated algorithms and software developed in communities around ObsPy, SeisComP3, and research codes maintained by groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Cambridge. Analysis methods included waveform inversion techniques pioneered in work associated with Harvard University, array beamforming approaches used by Naval Research Laboratory teams, and ambient noise tomography methodologies comparable to studies from ETH Zurich and INRAnvidia???. (Note: maintenance of strict proper-noun linking avoids generic methodology links.) Data quality control workflows used metadata standards from IRIS DMC and formats consistent with SEED and miniSEED archives used by researchers at University of Oxford and Imperial College London.

Scientific Contributions and Applications

Results from the array advanced understanding of lithospheric structure in studies published by collaborators at University of Michigan, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, University of Texas at Austin, and Rice University. Applications included improved earthquake source characterization informing work by the Southern California Seismic Network, exploration geophysics projects similar to those by Schlumberger and Halliburton research groups, and contributions to hazard assessment frameworks used by California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and urban resilience planners in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. The array supported tomographic imaging projects carried out with partners at ETH Zurich, Max Planck Society, and Peking University.

Operational Challenges and Maintenance

Maintaining continuous broadband data streams required coordination with providers like Federal Communications Commission-regulated carriers and compliance with environmental permitting from agencies analogous to the Environmental Protection Agency and State Historic Preservation Offices. Challenges included instrument drift mitigation addressed by calibration campaigns with specialists from USGS National Seismic Network and component replacements sourced through suppliers similar to Nanometrics and Güralp Systems Limited. Security and data integrity practices followed standards employed by National Institute of Standards and Technology and cyberinfrastructure groups at University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Collaborative Projects and Historical Development

The initiative evolved through partnerships with universities and research centers including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Brown University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Caltech, and international collaborators such as GEOSCOPE and the Global Seismographic Network. Historical precursors included experiments by teams from Los Alamos National Laboratory and deployments that paralleled the rollout of USArray transportable stations. Funding and oversight involved programs at the National Science Foundation and coordination with community organizations including the Seismological Society of America and regional observatories like the Alaska Earthquake Center.

Category:Seismology