More uses for gravityOur last post talked about using changes in Earth’s gravity field to measure gr
More uses for gravityOur last post talked about using changes in Earth’s gravity field to measure groundwater, but the satellite used for that measurement isn’t the only one taking advantage of the Earth’s gravitational field. The European Space Agency’s Cryosat-2 Satellite and a combined NASA/French Jason-1 satellite both orbited the Earth, producing measurements of the gravity field.Cryosat-2 was designed to study the changes in gravity over the polar ice caps as they melt, Jason-1 was built to measure changes in sea level. Together, they also produced maps of the gravity field around the world that can be used for interesting applications.This photo is a recent map of the world’s ocean floor containing literally tens of thousands of new mountains. They’re underwater, known as seamounts, so they can’t be seen at the surface; only spotted in gravity. A small mountain on the ocean floor will distort the gravity field enough to change sea level, allowing both Jason and Cryosat-2 to measure it. The red dots in this map mark earthquake locations just to make sure the mid-ocean ridges and faults are well located.In addition to mapping out seamounts, this type of data will also be useful for peering through sediments, giving both scientists and industry a chance to better-constrain the types of sedimentary deposits offshore that are being accessed for energy and other resources.-JBBImage credit:David Sandwell, Scripps Institution of OceanographyRead more:http://www.nature.com/news/gravity-map-uncovers-sea-floor-surprises-1.16048?WT.mc_id=TWT_NatureNews -- source link
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