Bücher von Masaki Kanao

Seismology in polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic) allows us to study the static condition and high-latitude dynamics of the Earth. This book covers the recent developments in seismology in polar regions; observations and networks; international collaboration; heterogeneous structure and dynamics of the lithosphere; deep Earth's interiors observed from high latitudes; characteristics of seismicity and seismic wave propagation; and global tectonics in terms of Earth's history, including the interdisciplinary studies on the interaction between Earth's spheres. Since the International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007/2008 was the most exciting campaign launched within contemporary polar studies, this book observes recent seismological achievements by the IPY, specifically focusing on the seismic signals near the surface associated with cryosphere dynamics and evolution. Topics on cryoseismology, such as glacial earthquake activities, are viewed in terms of global warming. Moreover, observational experiments and long-term monitoring under the extreme conditions in the polar environment are also discussed.

The importance of seismic wave research lies not only in our ability to understand and predict earthquakes and tsunamis, it also reveals information on the Earth's composition and features in much the same way as it led to the discovery of Mohorovicic's discontinuity. As our theoretical understanding of the physics behind seismic waves has grown, physical and numerical modeling have greatly advanced and now augment applied seismology for better prediction and engineering practices. This has led to some novel applications such as using artificially-induced shocks for exploration of the Earth's subsurface and seismic stimulation for increasing the productivity of oil wells. This book demonstrates the latest techniques and advances in seismic wave analysis from theoretical approach, data acquisition and interpretation, to analyses and numerical simulations, as well as research applications. A review process was conducted in cooperation with sincere support by Drs. Hiroshi Takenaka, Yoshio Murai, Jun Matsushima, and Genti Toyokuni.