Our Master student Sophus Bredesen Gullbeck presented our work on the Modelling the characteristics of infrasound signals as detected from a balloon platform: Earth and Venus applications. Active volcanism has been detected on Venus in recent years (Herrick & Hensley, 2023). Acoustic waves generated by volcanic eruptions could therefore be recorded by higher-altitude by pressure sensors carried by balloons. However, it remains unclear if simple modeling tools can capture characteristics of acoustic waves at balloon platforms and if the atmosphere of Venus can sustain long-range infrasound propagation through wave guiding and refractions such as observed in Earth’s stratosphere.
We use IMS and atmospheric balloon data from the Strateole-2 campaign to benchmark propagation modelling of long-range infrasound signals from the Hunga Tonga- Hunga Haʻapai eruption. In addition, we show the global morphology of infrasound waveguides at balloon altitudes. Applying the framework on Venus indicates that its atmosphere support ducting of similar eruptions to balloon altitudes despite the high sound speed regions on the surface.
- Herrick, R. R., & Hensley, S. (2023). Surface changes observed on a Venusian volcano during the Magellan mission. Science, 379(6638), 1205–1208.