Tide‐Modulated Ocean‐to‐Earth Energy Conversion Quantified With Coastal Fiber Sensing

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Authors: J. Y. Peter Ko, Kun‐Chi Ho, Chun‐Hung Richard Lin, H. Y. Huang, Ho‐Han Hsu, Chen‐Fen Huang, Hao Kuo‐Chen, Hou‐Sheng Cheng, Yao Hsu, En-Shih Wu, Hsi-An Chen, Yu-Fang Ma
+6 more Hung‐Yi Wu, Po-Yin Lin, Y. -w. J. Chen, Wei‐Jong Tien, Bo-Yu Siao, Hui‐Yu Wu
Cited by: 0
References: 23

Abstract

Abstract Quantifying how incident ocean waves transfer energy into seismic surface waves along the nearshore is essential for understanding coastal hazards and Earth–ocean coupling, yet time‐resolved in situ estimates have been scarce. Here we use a beach‐deployed distributed acoustic sensing array co‐located with an ocean‐bottom node to directly measure the conversion efficiency from wave impacts to Rayleigh‐type ground motion at 4–12 Hz. Frequency–wavenumber analysis, beamforming, and local back‐projection consistently locate sources along a fixed, wave‐breaking coastal segment, while particle‐motion ellipticity confirms the Rayleigh character. Calibrating distributed acoustic sensing strain to ground velocity and combining nearshore wave energetics yields an energy‐conversion efficiency on the order of 10 −6 . The efficiency is strongly modulated by tide, with high‐tide conditions enhancing coupling even though the source region remains stationary. Our results establish a quantitative benchmark for dynamic ocean‐to‐Earth energy transfer at the land–sea interface and provide a generalizable framework for coastal monitoring using existing fiber infrastructure.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Seismic Waves and Analysis Geophysics and Sensor Technology earthquake and tectonic studies

Publication details

Journal / source
Geophysical Research Letters
Volume
53
Issue
4
Publication date
11 February 2026
Language
EN