Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) was a six-year NASA campaign aimed at understanding the ice-ocean interaction by documenting how the ocean circulates in the fjords near Greenland and the effect it has on Greenland’s marine-terminating glaciers. OMG consisted of 12 deployments across Greenland from 2015 to 2021. OMG utilized a host of aircraft and ships that were equipped with sensors to conduct bathymetry mapping, as well as measure oceanic parameters such as salinity and temperature. OMG was funded by NASA’s EVS-2 program.
Singlebeam Echo Sounder System (SBES) is an in situ acoustic sensor used to measure the water depth to the seafloor. SBES determines the water depth by measuring the travel time of a sonar signal in two directions. SBES operate at a single frequency in the 24-33 kHz range for deeper water surveys and the 200-400 kHz range for shallow water surveys. They can operate in water depths under 100 meters up to 6,000 meters.
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
The Multibeam Echo Sounder System (MBES) is an active sonar system that collects bathymetric measurements. MBES operates by transmitting a sound pulse and detecting objects in the water by the returning echoes. It measures the time and angle of each return to create a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) surface model of the seafloor. High-frequency systems (100-1000 kHz) are typically used in shallow waters and can operate in waters as shallow as 1 m. Lower-frequency systems (10-70K kHz) can operate in deeper water depths (>10km deep) and can be installed on large research vessels.
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
The Multibeam Echo Sounder System (MBES) is an active sonar system that collects bathymetric measurements. MBES operates by transmitting a sound pulse and detecting objects in the water by the returning echoes. It measures the time and angle of each return to create a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) surface model of the seafloor. High-frequency systems (100-1000 kHz) are typically used in shallow waters and can operate in waters as shallow as 1 m. Lower-frequency systems (10-70K kHz) can operate in deeper water depths (>10km deep) and can be installed on large research vessels.
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) sensors are in situ instrument packages that are used to measure water depth, pressure, salinity, temperature, and density in the ocean. CTD sensors can be deployed on various water-based platforms such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), buoys, gliders, or research vessels. When deployed on a vessel, CTD sensors are typically attached to a rosette and then lowered to the seafloor to measure water properties. CTD sensors have a typical sampling rate of 30 Hz and can collect precise measurements for a specific water depth depending on the researcher's needs.
Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Pressure > Water Pressure
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) sensors are in situ instrument packages that are used to measure water depth, pressure, salinity, temperature, and density in the ocean. CTD sensors can be deployed on various water-based platforms such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), buoys, gliders, or research vessels. When deployed on a vessel, CTD sensors are typically attached to a rosette and then lowered to the seafloor to measure water properties. CTD sensors have a typical sampling rate of 30 Hz and can collect precise measurements for a specific water depth depending on the researcher's needs.
Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Pressure > Water Pressure
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
The Airborne eXpendable BathyThermograph (AXBT) is an in situ sensor that measures ocean temperature and conductivity. It is deployed from an aircraft using a small parachute and floats to the ocean surface after impact. The floating portion of the instrument then releases a probe into the ocean that collects profile measurements to a depth of about 1000 meters. AXBT has a vertical descent of about 1.5 meters per second.
The Multibeam Echo Sounder System (MBES) is an active sonar system that collects bathymetric measurements. MBES operates by transmitting a sound pulse and detecting objects in the water by the returning echoes. It measures the time and angle of each return to create a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) surface model of the seafloor. High-frequency systems (100-1000 kHz) are typically used in shallow waters and can operate in waters as shallow as 1 m. Lower-frequency systems (10-70K kHz) can operate in deeper water depths (>10km deep) and can be installed on large research vessels.
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) sensors are in situ instrument packages that are used to measure water depth, pressure, salinity, temperature, and density in the ocean. CTD sensors can be deployed on various water-based platforms such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), buoys, gliders, or research vessels. When deployed on a vessel, CTD sensors are typically attached to a rosette and then lowered to the seafloor to measure water properties. CTD sensors have a typical sampling rate of 30 Hz and can collect precise measurements for a specific water depth depending on the researcher's needs.
Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Pressure > Water Pressure
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
The Airborne Inertially Referenced Gravimeter (AIRGrav) is an airborne gravimeter designed by Sanders Geophysics Limited. It uses three orthogonal accelerometers mounted on an inertially stabilized platform to measure gravity and gravity anomalies. AIRGrav is typically used for gravity surveys over gas and oil-producing regions, but it has also been used for surveys over polar and coastal regions. AIRGrav has a typical spatial resolution of 2 km and samples data at a rate of 128 Hz.
The Airborne Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN-A) is an airborne, interferometric synthetic aperture radar. GLISTIN-A operates in the Ka-band (35.6 GHz), allowing the instrument to penetrate the top layers of snow and limit atmospheric attenuation. GLISTIN-A provides measurements of glacial and land ice surface topography and elevation at a spatial resolution of around 3 m. GLISTIN-A is ideal for measuring ice sheet elevation and studying glacial topographic changes due to its high spatial resolution and accuracy.
The Multibeam Echo Sounder System (MBES) is an active sonar system that collects bathymetric measurements. MBES operates by transmitting a sound pulse and detecting objects in the water by the returning echoes. It measures the time and angle of each return to create a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) surface model of the seafloor. High-frequency systems (100-1000 kHz) are typically used in shallow waters and can operate in waters as shallow as 1 m. Lower-frequency systems (10-70K kHz) can operate in deeper water depths (>10km deep) and can be installed on large research vessels.
Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/seafloor Topography > Water Depth
The Airborne Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN-A) is an airborne, interferometric synthetic aperture radar. GLISTIN-A operates in the Ka-band (35.6 GHz), allowing the instrument to penetrate the top layers of snow and limit atmospheric attenuation. GLISTIN-A provides measurements of glacial and land ice surface topography and elevation at a spatial resolution of around 3 m. GLISTIN-A is ideal for measuring ice sheet elevation and studying glacial topographic changes due to its high spatial resolution and accuracy.
