Construction of a Fine Extraction Process for Seismic Methane Anomalies Based on Remote Sensing: The Case of the 6 February 2023, Türkiye–Syria Earthquake

Abstract

Identifying seismic CH4 anomalies via remote sensing has been verified as a legitimate method. However, there are still some problems, such as unknown reliability due to the complex characteristics of seismic anomalies. In this study, a multi-dimensional and multi-scale methane seismic anomaly extraction process for remote sensing was constructed with the Robust Satellite Technique (RST) based on the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) CH4 data and then applied to the 2023 Türkiye–Syria earthquake. This study obtained the two-dimensional temporal–spatial distribution of methane anomalies and temporal variation in the anomaly index. Based on this, the three-dimensional profile structure of the 8-day methane anomaly was extracted to determine the reliability of the anomaly. Finally, based on the daily methane anomaly, combined with atmospheric circulation and backward trajectory analysis as auxiliary tools, the influence of air mass migration was excluded to enhance the accuracy of CH4 anomaly determination. The results show that the three-dimensional anomalous structure is consistent with the geological characteristics of tectonic activities, and it appears as a “pyramid” or “inverted pyramid” type in a three-dimensional space. The anomalies caused by air mass migration can be eliminated by combining them with synoptic-scale circulation motion. The time series calculated at the epicenter or a certain point in a region may not accurately reflect the influence of regional or specific tectonic activity in the atmosphere. Thus, the optimal determination of the range and magnitude of atmospheric anomalies caused by tectonic activities is a difficult task for future research.

Keywords

• earthquake
• methane
• anomaly extraction
• atmospheric circulation