Adam Ringler, Ph.D.
Biography
I am a scientist at the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory. I like to work on problems related to instrumentation and data quality. If you have any queries please don't hesitate to contact me.
Science and Products
Auroras and Earthquakes: Strange Companions
In 1722 and 1723 a London clockmaker, George Graham, observed daily and consistent variations on one of his instruments, a “Needle upon the Pin” (a compass), for which he had no explanation. Swedish scientists obtained some of Graham’s instruments to record what is now known to be the variations in Earth’s magnetic field. In 1741, they noticed a significant deflection of the compass needle...
Recording the aurora borealis (northern lights) at seismometers across Alaska
We examine three continuously recording data sets related to the aurora: all‐sky camera images, three‐component magnetometer data, and vertical‐component, broadband seismic data as part of the EarthScope project (2014 to present). Across Alaska there are six all‐sky cameras, 13 magnetometers, and >200">>200>200 ...
Tape, C.; Ringler, Adam T.; Hampton, D.L. Towards understanding relationships between atmospheric pressure variations and long-period horizontal seismic data: A case study
Variations in atmospheric pressure have long been known to introduce noise in long-period (>10 s) seismic records. This noise can overwhelm signals of interest such as normal modes and surface waves. Generally, this noise is most pronounced on the horizontal components where it arises due to tilting of the seismometer in response to...
Alejandro, Alexis Casondra Bianca; Ringler, Adam T.; Wilson, David C.; Anthony, Robert E.; Moore, S.V. Magnetic field variations in Alaska: Recording space weather events on seismic stations in Alaska
Seismometers are highly sensitive instruments to not only ground motion but also many other nonseismic noise sources (e.g., temperature, pressure, and magnetic field variations). We show that the Alaska component of the Transportable Array is particularly susceptible to recording magnetic storms and other space weather events because the sensors...
Ringler, Adam T.; Anthony, Robert E.; Wilson, David C.; Claycomb, Abram E.; Spritzer, John Installation and performance of the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory small-aperture posthole array
The Global Seismographic Network (GSN) has been used extensively by seismologists to characterize large earthquakes and image deep earth structure. While some of the networks design goals have been met, the seismological community has suggested that the incorporation of small-aperture seismic arrays at select sites may improve performance of the...
Anthony, Robert E.; Ringler, Adam T.; Wilson, David C.; Maharrey, J. Zebulon; Gyure, Gary; Pepiot, Aaron; Sandoval, Leo D.; Sandoval, Samuel; Telesha, Thomas; Vallo, Gilbert; Voss, Nicholas How processing methodologies can distort and bias power spectral density estimates of seismic background noise
Power spectral density (PSD) estimates are widely used in seismological studies to characterize background noise conditions, assess instrument performance, and study quasi‐stationary signals that are difficult to observe in the time domain. However, these studies often utilize different processing techniques, each of which can inherently bias the...
Anthony, Robert E.; Ringler, Adam T.; Wilson, David C.; Bahavar, Manochehr; Koper, Keith D. A brief introduction to seismic instrumentation: Where does my data come from?
Modern seismology has been able to take advantage of several technological advances. These include feedback loops in the seismometer, specialized digitizers with absolute timing, and compression formats for storing data. While all of these advances have helped to improve the field, they can also leave newcomers a bit confused. Our goal here is...
Ringler, Adam T.; Bastien, Patrick Calibration analysis and noise estimates of WWSSN Station ALQ (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
World‐Wide Standardized Seismograph Network (WWSSN) records contain daily calibration pulses that can be used to retrieve the magnification as well as the response of the instrument for a given day record. We analyze a select number of long‐period vertical (LPZ) records from WWSSN station ALQ (Albuquerque, New Mexico). Although we find that the...
Ringler, Adam T.; Wilson, David C.; Wolin, Emily; Storm, Tyler; Sandoval, L. D. Using component ratios to detect metadata and instrument problems of seismic stations: Examples from 18 years of GEOSCOPE data
Replacement or deterioration of seismic instruments and the evolution of the installation conditions and sites can alter the seismic signal in very subtle ways, so it is notoriously difficult to monitor the signal quality of permanent seismic stations. We present a simple tool, energy ratios between each pair of the three recorded components,...
Pedersen, Helle A.; Leroy, Nicolas; Zigone, Dimitri; Vallée, Martin; Ringler, Adam T.; Wilson, David C. Improvements in seismic resolution and current limitations in the Global Seismographic Network
Station noise levels play a fundamental limitation in our ability to detect seismic signals. These noise levels are frequency-dependent and arise from a number of physically different drivers. At periods greater than 100 s, station noise levels are often limited by the self-noise of the instrument as well as the sensitivity of the instrument to...
Ringler, Adam T.; Steim, J.; Wilson, David C.; Widmer-Schnidrig, R.; Anthony, Robert E. Rapid station and network quality analysis for temporary deployments
Seismic station data quality is commonly defined by metrics such as data completeness or background seismic noise levels in specific frequency bands. However, for temporary networks such as aftershock deployments or induced seismicity monitoring, the most critical metric is often how well the station performs when recording events of interest. A...
Wilson, David C.; Ringler, Adam T.; Storm, Tyler; Anthony, Robert E. Characteristics and spatial variability of wind noise on near-surface broadband seismometers
By coupling with the ground, wind causes ground motion that appears on seismic records as noise across a wide bandwidth. This wind-generated noise can drown out important features such as small earthquakes and prevent observation of normal modes from large earthquakes. Because the wind field is heterogeneous at local scales due to structures,...
Dybing, S. N.; Ringler, Adam T.; Wilson, David C.; Anthony, Robert E. Rayleigh wave ellipticity measurement uncertainty across the IRIS/USGS and New China Digital Seismograph Networks
Long-period Rayleigh wave horizontal to vertical amplitude (H/V) ratios at a station provide information about local earth structure that is complementary to phase velocity. However, a number of studies have observed that significant scatter appears in these measurements making it difficult to use H/V ratio measurements to resolve earth structure...
Ringler, Adam T.; Wilson, David C.; Zürn, Walter; Anthony, Robert E.