1. The DEMETER satellite: Payload, Operations and Data
M. Parrot
LPC2E/CNRS
3A, Avenue de la Recherche
45071 Orléans cedex 2,
France
Tunis, Awesome June 2009

2. The hypotheses about the seismo EM effect
Outlines
The Project
The hypotheses about the seismo EM effect
Observations during seismic activities
Statistical analysis
Conclusions
Tunis, Awesome June 2009

3. The Project
The DEMETER micro-satellite has been launched on June 29, 2004 by a Dnepr rocket from Baïkonour.
The plate-form is under the CNES responsibility and the scientific payload was provided by scientific laboratories.
Tunis, Awesome June 2009

4. The scientific objectives
The scientific objectives of the DEMETER micro-satellite are related to the study of ionospheric perturbations in relation with the seismic and volcanic activities.
These perturbations are interesting because they can be considered as short-term precursors (they occur between a few hours and a few days before a quake).
The same payload will allow to survey the ionospheric perturbations in relation with man-made activities.
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5. The scientific payload
The scientific payload of the DEMETER micro-satellite has several experiments:
A set of electric sensors to measure the 3 components of the electric field from DC to 3.5 MHz (CETP),
A three orthogonal search coil magnetometer to measure the magnetic field from a few Hz up to 20 kHz (LPCE),
Two Langmuir probes to measure the density and the temperature of the electrons (ESTEC),
An ion spectrometer to measure ion composition (CETP),
An energetic particle analyzer (CESR).
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9. Frequency range, B 10 Hz - 20 kHz Frequency range, E DC – 3.5 MHz
Measured Parameters
Frequency range, B Hz - 20 kHz
Frequency range, E DC – 3.5 MHz
Sensibility B : nT Hz-1/2 at 1 kHz
Sensibility E : µV Hz-1/2 at 500 kHz
Particles: electrons 60 keV – 600 keV
Ionic density: ions/cm3
Ionic temperature: K K
Ionic composition: H+, He+, O+
Electron density: cm-3
Electron temperature: 500 K K
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10. The operations
The orbit of DEMETER is polar, circular with an altitude of 710 km.
DEMETER record data in two modes: a survey mode all around the Earth with low resolution, and a burst mode with high resolution above main seismic zones.
The seismic parameters received from IPGP are merged with the orbital parameters in a special file of events.
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11. Tunis, Awesome June 2009

12. The wave experiment NEURAL NETWORK number of whistlers and dispersion.
BURST MODE
waveforms of 3 electric components up to 15 Hz,
waveforms of 6 components of the EM field up to 1.25 kHz,
waveforms of 2 components (1B + 1E) up to 20 kHz,
spectra of one electric component up to 3.5 MHz,
spectra of 2 components (1B + 1E) up to 20 kHz,
waveforms of one electric component up to 3.5 MHz (snapshots).
SURVEY MODE
spectra of one electric component up to 3.5 MHz.
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13. Tunis, Awesome June 2009

14. DEMETER DATA ACQUISITION
The DEMETER mission center
8 GHz
2 GHz
CNES
CONTROL CENTER
ANCILLARY DATA
- Orbit Parameters
- TM station Pass-Planning
- Events (orbit, satellite)
- Attitude
- HK
OPERATION
COORDINATION
GROUP
Science PL TM packets
Science PL
TM packets « back-up »
PL TC
PLAN
EXCHANGE FILE SERVICE
LPCE
(MC)
DEMETER DATA ACQUISITION
SEISMIC DATA
IPGP TM
ANCILLARY DATA
PROCESSING
PRE-PROCESSING [L0]
(Decommutation, Good Health)
SCIENCE PL PROGRAMMATION
GENERATION
INSTRUMMENT CALIBRATIONS
QUICK-LOOK
PROCESSING [L0']
PHYSICAL VALUES PROCESSING [L1]
Memory
handling
BURST zones
High resolution
display [L2]
ARCHIVE
(Science data L0, QL, L1; Earthquake data;
Ancillary data)
Calibration
validation
SCIENTIFIC
USERS
OPERATION
BOARD
PL status
WEB DATA SERVER
(Data L0, QL, L1, L2; Earthquake events; Ancillary data products; Mission information)
Science
operation
coordination
PL and MC
events
Instrument
configuration
LPCE
(IMSC, RNF, BANT)
CETP
(IAP, ICE)
DEMETER
MISSION GROUP
(Experimenters,
CNES)
CESR
(IDP)
ESTEC
(ISL)
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18. One day in the DEMETER life (August 12, 2004)
d = 2800 km
10 LT
22 LT
Tunis, Awesome June 2009

19. The hypotheses about the seismo EM effect
Outlines
The Project
The hypotheses about the seismo EM effect
Observations during seismic activities
Statistical analysis
Conclusions
Tunis, Awesome June 2009

20. Hypotheses on the generation mechanism of these seismo-electromagnetic perturbations:
Propagation of EM waves from the ground.
Only ULF waves can appear at the Earth’s surface,
Propagation in a wave guide (the fault) or change in the ground resistivity?
Wave-wave interaction in the ionosphere.
Propagation of Acoustic-Gravity Waves.
As far as they propagate, the AGW amplitude increases due the decrease of the atmospheric density
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21. The piezo-electric and tribo-electric effects.
Apparition of electric charges at the Earth’s surface,
Change of the atmospheric conductivity,
Change of the atmosphere-ionosphere coupling currents
The emissions of aerosols (radioactive gas or metallic ions). Transportation to ionospheric layers due to:
atmospheric turbulence and thermospheric winds,
increase of the atmosphere conductivity, penetration of electric fields and ion acceleration
from Markson, 1978
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22. First paper on the seismo-electromagnetic effects
by Milne in 1890
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23. Gokhberg et al. (1982)
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24. Observations of Seismo-Electromagnetic effects
Laboratory experiment (Cress et al., GRL, 1987)
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25. Observations of Seismo-Electromagnetic effects
Radon concentration data in a well close to Kobe
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26. (courtesy of P.F. Biagi)
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Ground

27. The hypotheses about the seismo EM effect
Outlines
The Project
The hypotheses about the seismo EM effect
Observations during seismic activities
Statistical analysis
Conclusions
Tunis, Awesome June 2009

28. Examples of ionospheric perturbations in possible correlation
with seismic activity
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29. Altitude of
DEMETER
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30. 13 Juin 2008 23:43:46 UT Lat 39.103° Long 140.668° d = 10 km M = 6.8
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31. 2,5 days before
200 km
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32. from K. Hattori
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33. The hypotheses about the seismo EM effect
Outlines
The Project
The hypotheses about the seismo EM effect
Observations during seismic activities
Statistical analysis
Conclusions
Tunis, Awesome June 2009

34. Statistical analysis with the electric field data
Tunis, Awesome June 2009

35. Electric field data organized by Frequencies (16) below 10 kHz
15 months of data
4385 hours of measurements
Electric field data organized by
Frequencies (16) below 10 kHz
Magnetic local time (2)
Geographic positions (bin of 4° in longitude, 2° in latitude)
Kp classes (3)
Seasons (2)
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36. Electric field map
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37. Probability density of the intensity of the waves in a cell
Application of the central limit
therorem
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38. de Braile, AGU, 2004
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39. Superposed epoch method
Time of EQ
26 June 2007
00:30:00 UT
10 Hours before ► x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Example for one EQ. When all EQs have been considered, the data in each cell are averaged. x x x x x
14 Hours 30 after x ►
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40. Night time VLF Electric field between 1055 – 2383 Hz
2111 EQs
with M > 5.0 and d < 40 km
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41. 3346 earthquakes with M > 4.8 and d < 40 km 2111 earthquakes
Night time
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42. random 2111 earthquakes with M > 5.0 and d < 40 km Night time
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43. We observe a decrease of the electric field at ~ 1.7 kHz
during night time
This is the frequency cutoff of the Earth-ionosphere
waveguide (h= 90 km)
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44. Conclusions (1/3)
The main points revealed by the statistical studies are:
The values of the parameters when the satellite is far from the earthquakes are similar to the values obtained when a random data set of events is used. Therefore this study shows that there is an influence of the seismic activity on the ionospheric parameters at an altitude of 700 km before the earthquakes.
The perturbations are observed a few hours before the earthquakes.
The perturbations are real but they are weak and only statistically revealed. Up to now nothing can be said about the possibility to predict earthquakes with the analysis of the ionospheric parameters.
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45. Conclusions (2/3)
Statistical analysis are in progress with other parameters:
Electron density
Electrostatic turbulence
Whistler dispersion
Energetic particles
VLF Transmitters
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46. Conclusions (3/3) 72 publications (end of May)
The website of the mission:
Operations will continue at least until the beginning of 2010.
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