Articles | Volume 12, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2127-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2127-2021
Research article
 | 
30 Sep 2021
Research article |  | 30 Sep 2021

COVID-19 lockdown effects on the seismic recordings in Central America

Mario Arroyo-Solórzano, Diego Castro-Rojas, Frédérick Massin, Lepolt Linkimer, Ivonne Arroyo, and Robin Yani

Data sets

Red Sismológica Nacional Instituto Nacional De Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia e Hidrología de Guatemala (INSIVUMEH) https://doi.org/10.7914/SN/GI

Universidad de Costa Rica Información de la Red Sismológica Nacional de Costa Rica (RSN-UCR) https://doi.org/10.15517/TC

Model code and software

Seismo RMS – A simple Python/Jupyter Notebook package for studying seismic noise changes T. Lecocq, F. Massin, C. Satriano, M. Vanstone, and T. Megies https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3820046

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Short summary
We present the first seismic noise variation levels during COVID-19 in Central America using 10 seismometers. We study the impact of the seismic noise reduction on the detectability of earthquakes and on the felt reports. Our results show maximum values (~50 % decrease) at seismic stations near airports and densely inhabited cities. The decrease in seismic noise improved earthquake locations and reports. Seismic noise could also be useful to verify compliance with lockdown measures.