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Mission results from the first GEOSTAR observatory (Adriatic Sea, 1998)

Earth, Planets and Space volume 55, pages 361–373 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

We assess the first mission of the GEOSTAR (GEophysical and Oceanographic STation for Abyssal Research) deep-sea multidisciplinary observatory for its technical capacity, performance and quality of recorded data. The functioning of the system was verified by analyzing oceanographic, seismological and geomagnetic measurements. Despite the mission’s short duration (21 days), its data demonstrated the observatory’s technological reliability and scientific value. After analyzing the oceanographic data, we found two different regimes of seawater circulation and a sharp and deepening pycnocline, linked to a down-welling phenomenon. The reliability of the magnetic and seismological measurements was evaluated by comparison with those made using on-land sensors. Such comparison of magnetic signals recorded by permanent land geomagnetic stations and GEOSTAR during a “quiet” day and one with a magnetic storm confirmed the correct functioning of the sensor and allowed us to estimate the seafloor observatory’s orientation. The magnitudes of regional seismic events recorded by our GEOSTAR seismometer agreed with those computed from land stations. GEOSTAR has thus proven itself reliable for integrating other deep-sea observation systems, such as modular observatories, arrays, and instrumented submarine cables.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Roma, Italy

    Laura Beranzoli, Thomas Braun, Massimo Calcara, Paolo Casale, Angelo De Santis, Giuseppe D’Anna, Domenico Di Mauro, Giuseppe Etiope, Paolo Favali, Francesco Frugoni, Caterina Montuori & Giuseppe Smriglio

  2. Laboratoire d’Océanographie et de Biogeochemie—CNRS, Marseille, France

    Jean-Luc Fuda & Claude Millot

  3. Istituto per la Geologia Marina—CNR, Bologna, Italy

    Fabiano Gamberi & Michael Marani

  4. Università “G. D’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy

    Angelo De Santis & Paolo Favali

Authors
  1. Laura Beranzoli
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  2. Thomas Braun
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  3. Massimo Calcara
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  4. Paolo Casale
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  5. Angelo De Santis
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  6. Giuseppe D’Anna
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  7. Domenico Di Mauro
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  8. Giuseppe Etiope
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  9. Paolo Favali
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  10. Jean-Luc Fuda
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  11. Francesco Frugoni
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  12. Fabiano Gamberi
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  13. Michael Marani
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  14. Claude Millot
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  15. Caterina Montuori
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  16. Giuseppe Smriglio
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Correspondence to Laura Beranzoli.

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Beranzoli, L., Braun, T., Calcara, M. et al. Mission results from the first GEOSTAR observatory (Adriatic Sea, 1998). Earth Planet Sp 55, 361–373 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351770

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