Airborne Gravimetry

Satellite gravimetry can map the gravity field of the Earth in a very homogeneous way, however, with lower resolution due the height of the orbits. Traditional gravimetry can measure the gravity with high resolution, however, the data is often inhomogeneous and the measure is limited by the environment conditions. Airborne gravimetry measurements can be used to fill the data gaps of the traditional and satellite gravimetry. Thanks to the development of the GNSS system, aerogravimetry nowadays can operate routinely not only for research, but also for resource investigation etc. Regional gravity field models can be developed by using aerogravimetry data.

North GRACE
 

Testflight from Münster
 

CHICAGO
Within the frame of the SFB267 -Deformation Processes in the Andes -  an aerogravimetric survey was performed in the region between 37°S and 39°S in November 2001 in cooperation with Instituto Geografico Miltitar (IGM) Santiago and Servicio Aerofotogrametrico (SAF) of the Chilean Air Force.
The survey was designed to map the ocean-continent boundary in this area without gaps in a short amount of time.
The results of this campaign are published in Scientific Technical Report STR03/12 of GFZ Potsdam.

MEXAGE
The MEXAGE project was initiated and conducted in co-operation between the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), hereby the Instituto Geofísica, the Consejo de Recursos Minerales de México (CRM) and the GFZ Potsdam. The goal of the survey was to fly aerogravimetry and aeromagnetometry over the Chicxulub impact structure in the northern part of Yucatán and the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, using the assistance of the UNAM and an aircraft of the CRM.
The results of this campaign are published in Scientific Technical Report STR05/03 of GFZ Potsdam.

AGFA
The LaCoste & Romberg gravity meter S124b and its surrounding system environment was installed and tested in conjunction with a strap-down gravity meter system (SAGS) of the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften in Munich on a Cessna Grand Caravan of the DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen. Two test flights were flown, one profile over the Bavarian Alps and another flight over the Rhine Graben.

AGMASCO
The aim of AGMASCO project (runtime: January 1996 to March 1999) was to construct a precise aerogravimetry system and to develop an airborne altimeter system to measure anomalies from the "normal sea surface height" by means of combining the experience of different european research centers.