Report of a workshop on technical approaches to construction of a seafloor geomagnetic observatory

Abstract

This report considers the technical issues on sensors, data recording and transmission, control and timing, power, and packaging associated with constricting a seafloor geomagnetic observatory. Existing technologies either already in use for oceanographic purposes or adapted from terrestral geomagnetic observatories could be applied to measure the vector magnetic field components and absolute intensity with minimal development. The major technical challenge arises in measuring absolute direction on the seafloor because terrestral techniques are not transferrable to the deep ocean. Two solutions to this problem were identified. The first requires the development of an instrument which measures the instantaneous declination and inclination of the magnetic field relative to a north-seeking gyroscope and the local vertical. The second is a straightforward extension of a precision acoustic method for determining absolute position on the seafloor.