Drift Rates of Three Micro-g LaCoste Turnkey Airborne Gravity Systems (TAGS) Used for the GRAV-D Project

Abstract:

The Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project of NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey has been collecting airborne gravity data since 2008 using 3 TAGS gravimeters, S-137, S-160 and S-161 (Table 1). The 38 surveys contain 1697 gravimeter calibration readings taken when the aircraft is parked on the ground before and after each flight, called still readings. This dataset is uniquely suited to examine the drift characteristics of these instruments. This study is broken into 3 parts: re-computation of individual still reading values; examination of drift rates during flights and surveys; and examination of long term drift rates.

Re-computation of still readings was accomplished by isolating the least-noisy 10-minute segment of gravity data while the aircraft was parked and the beam unclamped. This automated method worked in most cases, but a small number of readings required further examination. This method improved the consistency of pre- and post-flight still readings as compared to those recorded in the field. Preliminary results indicate that the drift rate for these 3 instruments during a typical survey period is both small (95% smaller than 0.35 mGal/day) and linear. The average drift rate during a survey is -0.11 mGal/day with a standard deviation of 0.12 mGal/day (Figure 1). Still readings for most surveys were well represented by a linear trend, but a small number have curvature or discontinuities. The nature and cause of this non-linearity will be investigated.

Early results show a long term linear drift rate for these 3 gravimeters between 0.01 and 0.04 mGal/day. There also appears to be significant non-linear variability. Comparing the 1.5-2 year time series of still readings from S-160 and S-161 with the 7.5 year time series for S-137, indicates that data from more than two years are needed to accurately characterize the long-term behavior. Instrumentation and processing causes for this non-linearity will be explored.

Table1. Number of surveys and still reading and duration of use for each Gravimeter

Meter	# of surveys	# still readings	Duration of use
S-137	27	1205	7.5 years
S-160	4	288	1.5 years
S-161	7	204	2 years