Micro-ocean-bottom electromagnetic receiver for controlled-source electromagnetic and magnetotelluric data...

Area of Science:

• Geophysics
• Oceanography
• Electromagnetism

Background:

• Existing ocean-bottom electromagnetic receivers are bulky, costly, and power-intensive.
• There is a need for more efficient and compact EM data acquisition systems for marine applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a new micro-ocean-bottom electromagnetic receiver.
• To overcome the limitations of current ocean-bottom EM receivers in terms of size, cost, power consumption, and bandwidth.

Main Methods:

• The receiver utilizes a single 17-in. spherical glass float and an acoustic telemetry modem.
• It incorporates two induction coils for magnetometry and four 8-m-span electric-field sensors.
• A smartphone controls the burn-wire release mechanism for seafloor deployment and retrieval.

Main Results:

• The new receiver demonstrates efficient, compact, and user-friendly operation.
• Field tests confirm its suitability for both marine magnetotelluric (MT) and controlled-source EM (CSEM) data acquisition.
• It achieves superior comprehensive performance compared to other miniaturized seabed EM receivers.

Conclusions:

• The developed micro-ocean-bottom EM receiver meets the requirements for deep-mantle structure research.
• It is also suitable for seabed resource exploration, offering enhanced capabilities.
• This innovation represents a significant advancement in marine EM surveying technology.