Analyzing correlations between GNSS retrieved precipitable water vapor and land surface temperature after earthquakes occurrence

Ao Guo; Yan Xu; Nan Jiang; Yuhao Wu; Zhaorui Gao; Song Li; Tianhe Xu; Luísa Bastos

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162225

Analyzing correlations between GNSS retrieved precipitable water vapor and land surface temperature after earthquakes occurrence

Sci Total Environ. 2023 May 10:872:162225. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162225. Epub 2023 Feb 14.

Authors

Ao Guo¹, Yan Xu¹, Nan Jiang², Yuhao Wu¹, Zhaorui Gao¹, Song Li¹, Tianhe Xu¹, Luísa Bastos¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Space Sciences, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China.
² Institute of Space Sciences, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China. Electronic address: nanjiang@sdu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36796702
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162225

Abstract

Earthquake is a common and destructive natural disaster. The enormous amount of energy released from seismic events can result in anomalous land surface temperature (LST) and catalyze the accumulation of water vapor in the atmosphere. The majority of previous works are not consensual concerning precipitable water vapor (PWV) and LST after the earthquake. Here, we utilized multi-source data to analyze the changes of PWV and LST anomaly after three Ms 4.0-5.3 crustal earthquakes at low depth (8-9 km) that occurred in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Firstly, PWV retrieval using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology is performed, showing that its root mean square error (RMSE) is less than 1.8 mm against radiosonde (RS) data or European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis 5 (ERA5) PWV data. The PWV change derived from the nearest GNSS stations around the hypocenter during the earthquakes shows anomalies, and the results reveal that PWV anomalies occurred after the earthquakes, mainly obeying a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. In addition, LST increases three days before PWV peak with a thermal anomaly of 12 °C higher than that of previous days. Robust Satellite Technique (RST) algorithm and ALICE index on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST products are introduced to analyze the correlation between the abnormality of LST and PWV. Based on ten-year background field data (2012-2021), the results show that LST during the earthquake has more thermal anomaly occurrences than in previous years. The more severe the LST thermal anomaly is, the higher the probability of a PWV peak occurring.

Keywords: Coupling; Earthquake; GNSS; Precipitable water vapor; Thermal anomaly.