Workshop on:

Global Bathymetry for Oceanography, Geophysics, and Climatology

Dates: October 24-26, 2002 (Thursday, Friday, optional Saturday AM)

Location: IGPP Scripps Institution of Oceanography , 4500 Hubbs Hall

Participation: Please send e-mail to Karen Scott (kscott@ucsd.edu) by September 15. Include contact information.

Participant list as of October 22

Travel support: We expect to provide travel support for 35 participants.

Abstracts : no later than October 1. Abstracts received as of October 22

Program and chapters of workshop report

Presentations
Short Workshop Report (in progress)
Long Worhshop Report (in progress)

Accommodation : reservations must be made by October 1

Background and objectives: Satellite altimeter measurements of the marine gravity field have been used with ship soundings to construct global bathymetric maps at 30-km resolution. Many applications in oceanography, geophysics, and climatology now require higher resolution. A dedicated altimeter with improved technology and a non-repeating orbit could provide 15-km resolution. This workshop will:

• Establish and quantify the applications and needs of seafloor topography and roughness in a diverse array of basic and applied research.
• Increase awareness of and support for an ABYSS-like radar altimeter mission.
• Generate a science document providing detailed rationale for an ABYSS-type mission.

What to Bring: Your applications of bathymetric/gravity data and future data requirements such as bathymetric accuracy/resolution, seafloor roughness spectra, gravity accuracy/resolution . . . Come prepared to present your views during the discussion sessions.

Tentative agenda (presentations and discussion):

Thursday AM Ocean science overview, radar altimeter technology

Thursday PM Ocean mixing, and tides, seafloor roughness, trench/outer rise fractures

Thursday eve. Open poster session and dinner (Munk Lab)

Friday AM            General ocean circulation models and climate

Friday PM Limitations of existing data, needs of RIDGE2000, MARGINS, and exploration industry.

Friday eve. Display of seafloor mapping technologies in Visualization Lab (4000 - Revelle Lab) . (informal)

Saturday Opportunity to develop workshop report and define future bathymetry missions.

Publication: Geosciences Professional Services, Inc. will construct, print, and distribute a workshop report based on material submitted by workshop participants.

Chapter 1 - overview and recommendations
Chapter 2 - characterization and causes of seafloor roughness
Chapter 3 - observations global ocean mixing, tides, and measurements of mixing
Chapter 4 - theory of internal-wave generation/breaking
Chapter 5 - effects of mixing/bathymetry on global ocean circulation
Chapter 6 - effects of mixing on climate and sea level
Chapter 7 - solid earth applications of deep-ocean bathymetry: ridges, plate re-organizations, seamounts, trench outer rise fractures, . . .
Chapter 8 - continental margins structure and processes
Chapter 9 - petroleum exploration
Chapter 10-  gravity applications

Chapter 11 - exploration of Planet Earth and outreach
Chapter 12 - limitations of existing data sets: altimetry and soundings

Chapter 13-  other applications: fisheries, marine habitat, law of the sea

Appendix A - possible altimeter design: ABYSS proposal

Conveners: Sarah Gille , John Orcutt , David Sandwell , and Walter H. F. Smith

Participants (~45)

Sponsors:

NASA

NSF

NOAA

ConocoPhillips

IGPP Green Foundation