Upgrade of Multichannel Seismic Capabilities on the Research Vessel MAURICE EWING

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

0342067 Diebold This award to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in the City of New York provides a new multichannel seismic reflection acquisition system, including an 8-kilometer solid state hydrophone streamer, to significantly improve the geophysical survey capabilities of the research vessel Maurice Ewing, an NSF-owned ship operated by LDEO as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research fleet. The enhanced system can be accommodated on the existing R/V Ewing handling system, and thus put to immediate use, providing both long, deep-penetration data acquisition with the increased length (from the present 6 kilometer maximum) as well as substantial improvement in high resolution data acquisition for shallower studies, since the streamer includes 1.5 km of 6.25-meter group spacing sections as well as 6.5 kilometers of 12.5-meter sections plus spares. The system will accommodate 3-D, multiple streamer capabilities, which are presently being considered either as part of a refit of R/V Ewing or acquisition of a replacement vessel, and the seismic system supported here will provide improved capabilities for academic researchers under either scenario. We anticipate that these improvements will be of substantial advantage to marine geophysicists using the ship in their research, and we anticipate substantial use of the system to support major ongoing NSF research initiatives, including the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), EarthScope, MARGINS and RIDGE 2000. ***