Small aperture infrasound array in the Antarctic Peninsula region - the first observations experience

At the Ukrainian Antarctic Akademik Vernadsky station deployed a significant multidisciplinary complex of equipment, some of which has been providing data to the scientific community for more than half a century. In addition to existing measuring instruments, a small aperture infrasound array was installed at the Vernadsky Station in 2021. The distance between the Chaparral Physics Model 64Vx sensors is 100 meters. The shape of the array is in the form of a triangle with a central element. The signal from the sensor goes by wire to a four-channel 24-bit ADC and then to the SeisComP server, where the data archive is formed in the miniSEED format. Since 2022, data has been transmitted in real time via the SeedLink protocol via satellite internet to the National Data Center, where it is processed.

During the observation, a large number of interesting regional and global signals associated with the calving of icebergs, avalanches, tsunamis, and storm processes were recorded by the array. At the beginning of 2022, together with the global infrasound network, signals from the eruption of the Hunga volcano, Tonga, were also recorded at the infrasound array of the Vernadsky station.

During registration, some technical issues were discovered that need to be upgraded, in particular, to improve the noise reduction and power systems. It is also necessary to increase the aperture of the array.

In general, the infrasonic array showed good survivability and the ability to record a wide range of phenomena in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Processing of its data in combination with data from neighboring infrasound arrays of the International Monitoring System CTBTO in a number of cases makes it possible to locate and identify the source of the signal. In addition, the current observational experience can be used in the installation of the IMS infrasound station in the Antarctic Peninsula region, as previously planned.