A Multidisciplinary Approach to Linking Seismological Observations and Environmental Processes

Attributing seismic signals to specific environmental processes remains a fundamental and evolving challenge in environmental seismology. The dynamical response of lakes to environmental and man-made forcings such as strong winds, river discharge, flooding and boat disturbances offers a valuable opportunity for monitoring these phenomena using ocean bottom seismometers (OBS). However, the assignment of seismic signals to events beyond well-characterized sources such as earthquakes or explosions remains a challenge in traditional seismology. We use a multidisciplinary approach that integrates diverse observational datasets to establish associations between environmental events and their corresponding seismic signatures. We conducted an experiment around the Muota Delta in Lake Lucerne using ocean bottom seismometers, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), and thermistors together with permanent limnological and meteorological nearby measuring stations. This study establishes the first comprehensive catalog characterizing seismic response at the lake floor to diverse environmental forcings. Our result reveals that the atmospheric-forcing induced seismic signature observed in two distinct period bands: above 10~s, and between 0.4 and 2~s. River discharge-driven seismic signals are characterized by longer periods (≥25~s). Finally, boat-induced pressure and seismic signals exhibit harmonic oscillations with periods between 10 and 100~s. This study opens new horizons in environmental seismology, demonstrating the potential of ocean bottom seismometers for monitoring various environmental processes when installed on the lake floor.