Discovering 'Stormquakes'
In this satellite image handout from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane Bill is seen August 19, 2009 in the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists say it generated hundreds of stormquakes along the eastern coast of the United States. Getty Images hide caption
In this satellite image handout from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane Bill is seen August 19, 2009 in the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists say it generated hundreds of stormquakes along the eastern coast of the United States.
Getty ImagesSeismologist Wenyuan Fan explains the accidental discovery — buried deep in seismic and meteorological data — that certain storms over ocean water can cause measurable seismic activity, or 'stormquakes.' He says this phenomenon could help scientists better understand the earth below the sea.
The original paper Wenyuan co-authored on stormquakes is here.
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This episode was produced by Brent Baughman and edited by Viet Le, with fact checking by Emily Vaughn.