Nonparametric Methods in Sensing the Deep Earth

• Activity Number: 662
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 5, 2010 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: IMS
• Author(s): Ping Ma*+
• Companies: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Keywords: Nonparametrics ; Solid Earth ; Smoothing Spline ; GCV ; Functional ANOVA ; Seismic Wave

Abstract

Remote sensing of the deep earth interior is challenging because direct sampling of Earths deep interior is currently, and perhaps indefinitely, impossible, due to the extreme pressures and temperatures. Our knowledge of Earth's deep interior is pieced together from a range of surface observations. Among them, seismic waves emitted by earthquakes are effective probes of Earths deep interior and are relatively easily and inexpensively recorded with networks of seismographs at Earths surface. Recently, the rapid deployment of dense global seismograph networks brings an unprecedented amount of high resolution seismic data that were inaccessible just a decade ago, offering researchers unprecedented opportunity to explore the deep earth interior. I will discuss some nonparametric methods in addressing a particular problem.