Atmosphere Above Japan Heated Rapidly Days Before Earthquake

TMO ^ | 5-19-2011 | Chris Kitze

[blam]

Atmosphere Above Japan Heated Rapidly Days Before Earthquake

Politics / Environmental Issues
May 18, 2011 - 01:15 PM
By: Chris Kitze

Infrared emissions above the epicentre increased dramatically in the days before the devastating earthquake in Japan, say scientists

Geologists have long puzzled over anecdotal reports of strange atmospheric phenomena in the days before big earthquakes. But good data to back up these stories has been hard to come by.

In recent years, however, various teams have set up atmospheric monitoring stations in earthquake zones and a number of satellites are capable of sending back data about the state of the upper atmosphere and the ionosphere during an earthquake.

Last year, we looked at some fascinating data from the DEMETER spacecraft showing a significant increase in ultra-low frequency radio signals before the magnitude 7 Haiti earthquake in January 2010

Today, Dimitar Ouzounov at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland and a few buddies present the data from the Great Tohoku earthquake which devastated Japan on 11 March. Their results, although preliminary, are eye-opening.

They say that before the M9 earthquake, the total electron content of the ionosphere increased dramatically over the epicentre, reaching a maximum three days before the quake struck.

At the same time, satellite observations showed a big increase in infrared emissions from above the epicentre, which peaked in the hours before the quake. In other words, the atmosphere was heating up.

These kinds of observations are consistent with an idea called the Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling mechanism. The thinking is that in the days before an earthquake, the great stresses in a fault as it is about to give cause the releases large amounts of radon.

The radioactivity from this gas ionises the air on a large scale and this has a number of knock on effects. Since water molecules are attracted to ions in the air, ionisation triggers the large scale condensation of water.

But the process of condensation also releases heat and it is this that causes infrared emissions. "Our first results show that on March 8th a rapid increase of emitted infrared radiation was observed from the satellite data," say Ouzounov and co.

These emissions go on to effect the ionosphere and its total electron content.

It certainly makes sense that the lithosphere, atmosphere and ionosphere are coupled in a way that can be measured when one of them is perturbed. The question is to what extent the new evidence backs up this idea.

The Japan earthquake is the largest to have struck the island in modern times and will certainly turn out to be among the best studied. If good evidence of this relationship doesn't emerge from this data, other opportunities will be few and far between.

Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1105.2841: Atmosphere-Ionosphere Response to the M9 Tohoku Earthquake Revealed by Joined Satellite and Ground Observations. Preliminary Results.

[Myrddin]

Some piezo electric activity is likely a source of electrical phenomena as well.

[indthkr]

Wild Science....

[Fred Nerks]

There is apparently a phenomenon that happens right before and perhaps during an earthquake that is very similar to the auroras in the northern and southern hemispheres. This phenomenon, somewhat regarded as make-believe until recent history, is referred to as “earthquake light.” Apparently right before and during an earthquake (or perhaps more accurately, “places of tectonic stress, seismic activity, or volcanic eruptions”), aurora-esque luminous activity in the sky has been reported all over the world.

http://www.jimonlight.com/2010/01/16/the-phenomenon-of-earthquake-lights/

SEE VIDEO

[Viking2002]

Agreed. Both friction and pressure generate heat. It could be that if a certain point along plate fault lines reach 'critical mass' and can no longer transfer any of that energy to it's surrounding environment, it begins to generate a terminal 'thermal' signature, indicating that a massive release of that energy is about to take place. Helluva thing if the theory holds any water.

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[Rushmore Rocks]

I’m an earthquake “junkie”. This is interesting to me. Thanks for the ping.

[GOPJ]

Nice post.

[al baby]

Wow when we get a strange heat wave her (So. California) we say earthquake weather it might hold true

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Fred Nerks!

[thecodont]

“Earthquake weather” is apparently not a myth.

Now I feel better.

I will never forget the weather the afternoon of October 17, 1989.

[Quix]

Now now . . .

this pseudo science from alternative sources pretending to be MSM pontificators just can’t have any validity whatsoever.

IF it’s not 100% purrrree deeeeee conventional MSM blather,

it just has to be 100% false pseudo-pretend science from them wild story idiots.

Sure wouldn’t want the famous blam to fall into THAT crack in the earth [truly on that score]!

/s

[Natural Born 54]

We have a winner.

[SunkenCiv]

The California quake during the World Series?

[ukie55]

Geologists have long puzzled over anecdotal reports of strange atmospheric phenomena in the days before big earthquakes. But good data to back up these stories has been hard to come by.

This would be great if true. Maybe they could come up with some way to predict earthquakes from this.

[ukie55]

What if the atmosphere also suddenly heats when there aren’t earthquakes? Be hard to decide when to take action and when not to.

Better safe than sorry.

I'd rather have the false alarms than get caught flatfooted.

[blam]

"This would be great if true. Maybe they could come up with some way to predict earthquakes from this."

So...do you report that (for example) "San Francisco will be hit by an 8.5 earthquake in three hours"?

[blam]

BTW, I emailed this article to my son (PhD physics), here is his reply:

"Interesting yes. Quite a bit of prediction lore out here. I had not heard of this Lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere Coupling mechanism. It seems plausible. Although realize that predicting earthquakes is like curing cancer or the common cold, there are so many variations that it's essentially impossible to have a single solution. But you have to start somewhere. In this case, that is implying the release of radioactive gas, there needs to be a surface based detection to confirm that specific mechanism.
Also the proposed anomaly metrics in the paper needs to be accompanied by independent review for null hypothesis. The authors claim a 2-sigma anomaly but that is meaningless without that. But in principle since the authors seem to be using standard anomaly detection methods, if there is a nut in there, they might just find it. Doesn't look crackpot. If they can confirm any mechanism like this that would be a fantastic discovery. But yes it would still be some time before we could be sure of it's utility, eg not many false positives."

"On false positives, guy at Caltech here has story of predicting earthquake and telling disaster chief in San Fran, where it was predicted. Does chief now tell mayor to evacuate the city, or ignore it, or just happen to take the day off and drive his family for an out of town excursion?"

[Quix]

Thanks.

Interesting.

[Quix]

THANKS TONS, BLAM.

I guess Quix ain’t so dumb, after all.

[Quix]

THANKS MUCH for the ping.

Looks like some folks have already put some pieces together that the article came right up to the line of, but didn’t mention.