HR: 11:20h
AN: G32A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Naval Reseaarch Laboratory Gulf of Mexico Geoid Model Texas Reference Center Pilot Project
AU: * Prouty, D B
EM: daniel.prouty@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Lyle, S D
EM: stacey.lyle@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Roman, D R
EM: dan.roman@noaa.gov
AF: National Geodedic Survey, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States
AU: Mulcare, D M
EM: donald.mulcare@noaa.gov
AF: National Geodedic Survey, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States
AU: Jeffress, G
EM: gary.jeffress@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Sadovski, A
EM: alexey.sadovski@tamucc.edu
AF: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Aiken, C L
EM: aiken@utdallas.edu
AF: The University of Texas at Dallas, 2601 N. Floyd Rd., Richardson, TX 75083, United States
AU: Smith, R
EM: rickasmith@gmail.com
AF: Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, United States
AU: Childers, V A
EM: viki.childers@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Lab, 4555 Overlook Ave, Washington, DC 7420, United States
AU: Brozena, J M
EM: john.brozena@nrl.navy.mil
AF: Naval Research Lab, 4555 Overlook Ave, Washington, DC 7420, United States
AB: The purpose of this project is to improve elevations in Texas and nearby regions for flooding, mapping and hurricane preparedness. The U.S. Navy Department's Naval Research Laboratory and Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi are planning an aircraft-based gravity data collection effort along the Gulf of Mexico and the southern boundary of the United States. This project will utilize the Naval Airborne Gravity modeling system to improve elevations along the coast and throughout the United States in support of shallow-water navigation, aviation, and ground monitoring systems used by federal, state and local public safety agencies. The current project plan will address the issue of inconsistencies in the gravity field from onshore to offshore, facilitate the identification of systematic problems and otherwise help resolve issues related to existing, legacy gravity data. The widespread and increasing use of GPS for height determinations fundamentally depends on the use of a geoid height model to convert GPS-derived heights into heights above mean sea level. Current geoid models are inadequate. Accurate, homogeneous gravity measurements are essential for the computation of geoid models. To address the inadequate gravity data set for the US, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and National Geodetic Survey (NGS) have developed a new approach based on airborne methods. The new approach yields spatially well distributed high-quality, consistent, and contemporary gravity data. The method to be employed has undergone extensive testing and is now ready for additional investigation. The airborne gravitational data will be used in conjunction with existing ground and marine gravity data sets and data from the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON), a network of 32 tide gauges, to be used to help identify problems of tying the geoid to mean sea-level. These improved gravity data will lead to the creation of new and improved US geoid models. Accurate geoid models will then allow; (i) improving ocean circulation and tide models in support of shallow-water Naval and Marine operations, (ii) improved hurricane SLOSH models for coastal flooding, where hydrographic and topographic mapping in coastal zone areas are typical land maps which use one height system and ocean charts use another, (iii) improved geospatial mapping for homeland security and defense applications, (iv) accurate heights for engineering and construction projects, (v) air and ground transportation navigation, and (vi) provide a homogeneous gravity database of the US for studying the geology and tectonics in general, and studies of resources, geologic hazards and the environment in particular.
DE: 1200 GEODESY AND GRAVITY
DE: 1222 Ocean monitoring with geodetic techniques (1225, 1641, 3010, 4532, 4556, 4560, 6959)
DE: 4556 Sea level: variations and mean (1222, 1225, 1641)
DE: 4560 Surface waves and tides (1222)
SC: Geodesy [G]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly