Deployment of Towed Gravity Meter
Abstract
Gravity can be measured on the sea surface and on the seafloor. Surface gravity suffers from lack of resolution over deep seas, because the perturbing source masses are far from the meter. Bottom measurements recover this resolution, but suffer from poor coverage because of the time needed for individual measurements. Our proposed solution to this problem is a towed deep-ocean gravity meter (TOWDOG), which combines the rapid data collection of shipboard measurements with resolution approaching ocean bottom measurements. The near-bottom gravity measurements have the advantages of both existing techniques while avoiding the problems inherent in each one. While gravity methods have been used on land for several decades to further our understanding of earth structure, we are just beginning to bring the power of gravity field quantification to constructing detailed models of the crust underlying the ocean. Our work focuses on the development of gravity measuring and interpretation tools that can be applied to undersea structures such as seafloor volcanoes and mid-ocean ridges. Rather than relying on the standard marine gravimetric methods, we wish to lengthen the list of tools available to the marine geophysicist for applying gravity measurements to understanding the makeup of the crust beneath the oceans. Gravity can be measured on the sea surface and on the seafloor. Surface gravity suffers from lack of resolution over deep seas, because the perturbing source masses are far from the meter. Bottom measurements recover this resolution, but suffer from poor coverage because of the time needed for individual measurements. Our proposed solution to this problem is a towed deep-ocean gravity meter (TOWDOG), which combines the rapid data collection of shipboard measurements with resolution approaching ocean bottom measurements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 25, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA332774
Entities
People
- Jeff Ridgway
- John A Hildebrand
- Mark A. Zumberge
Organizations
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography