Meet the Teacher:

Elizabeth Russillo

A recent growth in concern for losses suffered in coastal communities due to devastating tsunamis has resulted in a need for early warning seismic detection systems in order to reduce the risk to human life. This study aims to understand the details and feasibility of modifying an existing Pressure-recording Inverted Echo Sounder (PIES) developed by the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island for detection of seismic activity resulting in tsunamis. The proposed modifications will enable detailed measurements of position on the sea floor with an accuracy of less than one centimeter in any given axis, providing a predictive benchmark for tectonic activity at fault zones that will allow for prediction of sea floor response in future seismic events. The new title for this instrument is GABBIES - a Geodetic Acoustic Benchmark Beacon Inverted Echo Sounder. The GABBIES will be deployed off of the R/V Endeavor and rest on the seafloor. An acoustic command sent from the vessel will activate the GABBIES and the exact position of the GABBIES will be determined by using transit times of the acoustic signal and known locations of the vessel by a carrier phase GPS receiver. This design project serves as a gateway for several future experiments, both in the laboratory and the field that will continue to be pursued.