AUTHOR=Li Yang , Meng Qingsheng , Wang Shilin , Wang Wenjing , Chen Yuhong 

TITLE=Assessing the liquefaction potential of seabed soils based on ocean ambient noise in the Yellow River Delta

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1211616

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2023.1211616

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=Seabed soils can undergo liquefaction under cyclic loading, resulting in a rapid decrease in its strength and stiffness, which may lead to the destruction of offshore structures. Therefore, the assessment of seabed soil liquefaction will become an important factor of disaster prevention and risk analysis in coastal and offshore engineering construction. In this study, the ocean ambient noise with low-frequency, long-wavelength, and wide-band characteristics was utilized to conduct noise recording and analysis based on the horizontal to vertical spectral ratio method. The shear wave velocity of the seabed soil was obtained by inverting the dataset of the ocean ambient noise. Then, we proposed a shear wave velocity threshold that can be used for liquefaction assessment of Holocene unconsolidated fine-grained soils by statistical analysis, and the liquefaction potential of the soils was evaluated according to the 1-D shear wave velocity structures and 2-D shear wave velocity profiles. The results showed that the distribution of the shear wave velocity obtained by inverting the ocean ambient noise was generally consistent with the measured shear wave velocity in the field, which indicates that the inversion results have a certain degree of accuracy. A shear wave velocity threshold of 200 m/s was proposed for liquefaction assessment, determining that the soils within 0~10 m depth in the Yellow River Delta coastal area have liquefaction potential. This result is in accordance with the assessment based on the critical shear wave velocity, indicating that this threshold is applicable to the assessment of seabed soil liquefaction in the Yellow River Delta. The in-situ observations of the ocean ambient noise provide a more convenient, economic, and environmentally friendly method, which can help to investigate marine geology disasters, and serve marine engineering construction.