[1] A comprehensive hydrogeological investigation regarding the influence of variations in local and regional water mass on superconducting gravity measurements is presented for observations taken near the geodynamic station of Membach, Belgium. Applying a regional water storage model, the gravity contribution due to the elastic deformation of the Earth was derived. In addition, the Newtonian gravity effect induced by the local water mass variations was calculated, using soil moisture observations taken at the ground surface (about 48 m above the gravimeters). The computation of the gravimetric effect is based on a digital elevation model with spatially discretized rectangular prisms. The obtained results are compared with the observations of a superconducting gravimeter (SG). We find that the seasonal variations can be reasonably well predicted with the regional water storage model and the local Newtonian effects. Shorter-period effects depend on the local changes in hydrology. This result shows the sensitivity of SG observations to very local water storage changes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.