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Japan Earthquake Changed Earth's Gravity
By Laura Dattaro Published: Dec 4, 2013, 3:13 PM EST weather.com
A model of Earth's 'geoid,' made from GOCE data. The colors represent deviations in height. (ESA/HPF/DLR)
When the European Space Agency (ESA) launched its gravity-mapping GOCE satellite in 2009, scientists didn’t expect to see any changes in the data over time. But a new analysis has shown that the earthquake that rocked Japan in 2011 changed the strength of the Earth’s gravity around the quake’s epicenter and sent sound waves all the way out to the probe in space.
GOCE, which stands for Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer, orbits Earth at about 160 miles up, collecting data to map variations in gravity around the Earth. When the magnitude 9 quake struck in March 2011, it shifted rock and changed the shape of the ocean floor, disrupting the sea level and causing small changes in the strength of the gravity.
Changes in Earth’s gravity field resulting from the earthquake that hit Japan on 11 March 2011. A combination of data from ESA’s GOCE mission and the NASA–German Grace satellite, shows the ‘vertical gravity gradient change.' The 'beachball' marks the epicenter. (ESA/DGFI/TU Delft)
This is the first time scientists have seen any variation over time in GOCE’s data, according to an ESA press release. The data lines up with that collected by twin satellites called GRACE — Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment — which is designed to measure changes over time.
The car-sized GOCE caused some worry earlier this fall when it ran out of fuel after its mission ended and started to fall toward Earth. Scientists were unsure where exactly it would enter Earth’s atmosphere, and thus where its pieces would land, but it ultimately fell harmlessly into the southern region of the Atlantic Ocean, according to NBC. The mission’s team will continue to work with the four years’ worth of data, which, according to ESA, is important for our understanding of ocean circulation, sea-level change, volcanic activity and other Earth systems.
MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: ESA Satellite Images of Earth from Space
1 / 52
Uluru/Ayers Rock in the Australian outback is featured in this image from the Kompsat-2 satellite. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Kompsat-2 satellite acquired this image on Sept. 15, 2011. (KARI/ESA)
By Laura Dattaro Published: Dec 4, 2013, 3:13 PM EST weather.com
A model of Earth's 'geoid,' made from GOCE data. The colors represent deviations in height. (ESA/HPF/DLR)
When the European Space Agency (ESA) launched its gravity-mapping GOCE satellite in 2009, scientists didn’t expect to see any changes in the data over time. But a new analysis has shown that the earthquake that rocked Japan in 2011 changed the strength of the Earth’s gravity around the quake’s epicenter and sent sound waves all the way out to the probe in space.
GOCE, which stands for Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer, orbits Earth at about 160 miles up, collecting data to map variations in gravity around the Earth. When the magnitude 9 quake struck in March 2011, it shifted rock and changed the shape of the ocean floor, disrupting the sea level and causing small changes in the strength of the gravity.
Changes in Earth’s gravity field resulting from the earthquake that hit Japan on 11 March 2011. A combination of data from ESA’s GOCE mission and the NASA–German Grace satellite, shows the ‘vertical gravity gradient change.' The 'beachball' marks the epicenter. (ESA/DGFI/TU Delft)
This is the first time scientists have seen any variation over time in GOCE’s data, according to an ESA press release. The data lines up with that collected by twin satellites called GRACE — Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment — which is designed to measure changes over time.
The car-sized GOCE caused some worry earlier this fall when it ran out of fuel after its mission ended and started to fall toward Earth. Scientists were unsure where exactly it would enter Earth’s atmosphere, and thus where its pieces would land, but it ultimately fell harmlessly into the southern region of the Atlantic Ocean, according to NBC. The mission’s team will continue to work with the four years’ worth of data, which, according to ESA, is important for our understanding of ocean circulation, sea-level change, volcanic activity and other Earth systems.
MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: ESA Satellite Images of Earth from Space
1 / 52
Uluru/Ayers Rock in the Australian outback is featured in this image from the Kompsat-2 satellite. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Kompsat-2 satellite acquired this image on Sept. 15, 2011. (KARI/ESA)
