Airborne gravimetry using a strapped-down LaCoste and Romberg air/sea gravity meter system: a feasibility study

Marine gravimeters mounted on stabilized platforms are commonly used in aircraft to perform airborne gravity measurements. The role of the stabilized platform is to level the sensor mechanically, whatever the aircraft attitude. However, this compensation is generally insufficient due to the sensitivity of modern gravity sensors. Correcting the offlevel error requires that an offlevel correction calculated from positioning data be added to gravimeter measurements, which complicates not only the processing, but also the assessment of precision and resolution. This paper is a feasibility study describing the levelling of a completely strapped‐down LaCoste and Romberg gravimeter for airborne gravimetry operation, by means of GPS positioning data. It focuses on the calculation of the sensor offlevel correction needed for the complete gravity data processing. The precision of the offlevel correction that can be achieved, in terms of GPS data precision and gravity wavelengths, is theoretically studied and estimated using the gravity and GPS data acquired during the Alpine Swiss French airborne gravity survey carried out in 1998 over the French Western Alps. While a 1 cm precision of GPS‐determined baseline coordinates is sufficient to achieve a 5 mGal precision of the offlevel correction, we maintain that this precision has to reach 1 mm to ensure a 1 mGal precision of the offlevel correction at any wavelength. Without a stabilized platform, the onboard instrumentation becomes significantly lighter. Furthermore, the correction for the offlevel error is straightforward and calculated only from GPS data. Thus, the precision and the resolution of airborne gravity surveys should be estimated with a better accuracy.