Long-term continuous observation of vertical gradient of water temperature on the deep seafloor

Abstract:

We have conducted ocean bottom pressure observations near the Japan Trench and the Kuril Trench using self-pop-up type instruments to detect seafloor vertical displacement accompanied by slip events along the plate boundary faults. Recently, we have started similar observation campaigns in the Hikurangi subduction zone, off the North Island of New Zealand since 2013. As a result of the observations, we have observed an uplift of 5 m due to the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake (Ito et al., 2011) and transient crustal deformations accompanied by slow slip events preceding the earthquake (Ito et al., 2013). Precision thermometer, usually used for temperature compensation of the pressure readings, occasionally recorded strange temperature changes related to occurrence of submarine earthquakes or tsunamis. Arai et al. (2013) interpreted noticeable temperature changes observed after the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and interpreted it as the result of the turbidity current induced by massive tsunami. Inazu et al. (2015) pointed out a possibility that the temperature disturbance recorded just after the Tohoku-Oki earthquake above the large coseismic slip zone was due to the discharged of submarine groundwater associated with the earthquake. In order to describe these strange temperature signals more quantitatively, we started trial observations allowing investigation of water temperature field on the deep seafloor. In this study, we installed two precision temperature loggers top and bottom of the ocean bottom pressure recorders, with ~ 60 cm in height, to measure vertical gradients of seawater temperature as well as the ocean bottom pressures. Here, we report about 1-year continuous records retrieved from the Japan Trench and off New Zealand. During the observation off New Zealand, an evident slow slip event was identified by the onshore geodetic observations near the locations of our seafloor pressure-temperature monitoring. We are now exploring possible thermal and pressure signals associated with the slow slip event.