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Abstract Mid‐ocean ridges generate basalt and harzburgite, which are introduced into the mantle through subduction as a mechanical mixture, contributing to both lateral and radial compositional heterogeneity. The possible accumulation of basalt in the mantle transition zone has been examined, but details of the mantle composition below the 660‐km discontinuity (hereafter d660) remain poorly constrained. In this study, we utilize the subtle waveform details ofS660S, the underside shear‐wave reflection off the d660, to interpret the seismic velocity, density, and compositional structure near, and particularly below, the d660. We identify a significant difference inS660Swaveform shape in subduction zones compared to other regions. The inversion results reveal globally enriched basalt at the d660, with a notably higher content in subduction zones, consistent with the smaller impedance jump andS660Speak amplitude. The basalt fraction decreases significantly to less than 10% near 800‐km depth, forming a global harzburgite‐enriched layer and resulting in a steep seismic velocity gradient just below the d660, in agreement with 1D global reference models. The striking compositional radial variations near the d660 verify geodynamic predictions and challenge the applicability of homogeneous radial compositional models in the mantle. These variations may also affect the viscosity profile and, consequently, the dynamics at the boundary between the upper and lower mantle. 

Abstract Vertical records of ocean-bottom seismographs (OBSs) are usually noisy at low frequencies, and one important noise source is the varying ocean-bottom pressure that results from ocean-surface water waves. The relation between the ocean-bottom pressure and the vertical seafloor motion, called the compliance pressure transfer function (PTF), can be derived using background seismic data. During an earthquake, earthquake signals also generate ocean-bottom pressure fluctuations, and the relation between the ocean-bottom pressure and the vertical seafloor motion is named the seismic PTF in this article. Conventionally, we use the whole pressure records and the compliance PTF to remove the compliance noise; the earthquake-induced pressure and the seismic PTF are ignored, which may distort the original signals. In this article, we analyze the data from 24 OBSs with water depth ranging from 107 to 4462 m. We find that for most stations, the investigated frequency range (0.01–0.2 Hz) can be divided into four bands depending on the water depth. In band (I) of lowest frequencies (<0.11, <0.05, and <0.02  Hz for water depth of 107, 1109, and 2650 m, respectively), the vertical seafloor acceleration is composed mostly of pressure compliance noise, which can be removed using the compliance PTF. The compliance PTF is much smaller than the seismic PTF, so distortion of earthquake signals is negligible. In band (II) of higher frequencies (0.11–0.20, 0.05–0.11, and 0.02–0.05 Hz for water depth of 107, 1109, and 2650 m, respectively), the vertical acceleration and ocean-bottom pressure are largely uncorrelated. In bands (III) and (IV) of even higher frequencies (>0.11 and >0.08  Hz for water depth of 1109 and 2650 m, respectively), the compliance noise is negligible, and the ocean-bottom pressure is mostly caused by the seafloor motion. Thus, the compliance can be safely ignored in frequency band (I).