Dataset

Black Forest Observatory Data

Black Forest Observatory (BFO);

1971 || GFZ Data Services

The Black Forest Observatory Data collection compiles digital data recorded at Black Forest Observatory (BFO) in Germany and provided through several international data centers. BFO aims to observe the entire geodynamic spectrum. It strives to ensure continuous, uninterrupted operation and is internationally recognized for high signal quality and sensitivity. Observed quantities cover three components of acceleration (including ground motion, gravity and tilt), strain, magnetic field, and others (see description of instruments below). The set of instruments and data recorders in operation provides a significant level of redundancy, which allows to distinguish natural phenomena from possible instrumental artefacts.
The Black Forest Observatory (BFO) is a joint research facility of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Stuttgart (Duffner et al., 2018; Gottschämmer et al. 2014). Since 1971 it is operated in cooperation of the geophysical and geodetic institutes of both universities (Zürn, 2014). BFO is staffed with two scientists and one technician. Main activities of the observatory fall into four categories, which are (1) observation and publication of a continuously recorded multi-parameter geodynamic data set, (2) research, (3) hosting of guest-experiments, and (4) teaching.
The location of the observatory (48.3301 °N, 8.3296 °E) in the middle of the Black Forest was carefully selected at large distances to potential anthropogenic sources of noise. The instruments are deployed in a former silver mine in competent granite rock at a depth of up to 170 m below the surface and at up to 700 m distance from the entrance of the mine. This provides a thermally very stable environment. Two air-locks provide additional protection against air-pressure variations and ensure thermal stability. Because of these favorable conditions and the excellent high precision instruments operated at BFO the observatory is internationally well known as one of the most sensitive sites for long period observations, providing international standards for the scientific community, e.g. for recordings of Earth's free oscillations.
The Black Forest Observatory operates broad-band seismometers (STS-1 and STS-2), gravimeters (superconducting gravimeter SG056, LaCoste Romberg earth-tide gravimeter ET-19), tiltmeters (Askania borehole tiltmeter, Horsfall fluid tiltmeter), an array of three invar-wire strainmeters, magnetometers (a scalar GSM-90 Overhauser magnetometer and a three component Rasmussen fluxgate magnetometers) and a permanent GPS-station. These are supplemented by regularly repeated magnetic base-line measurements and observations of absolute gravity as well as the recording of several environmental parameters (air-pressure, infrasound, humidity, wind speed, precipitation and temperature). Some of the latter are used to correct geodynamic recordings for remaining disturbances.
The data are published in near-real-time through international data centers (IRIS DMC at Seattle, SZO at the BGR in Hannover, INTERMAGNET, GNSS Data Center at the BKG in Frankfurt, IGETS Database at GFZ Potsdam). Data are made available free of charge to scientific projects as well as to the general public with attribution as defined in the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0).
An extended review of research at BFO is given by Zürn (2014) and Duffner et al. (2018, in German). Both provide references to published BFO research.

Originally assigned keywords

Corresponding MSL vocabulary keywords

MSL enriched keywords

MSL enriched sub domains	rock and melt physics analogue modelling of geologic processes paleomagnetism geochemistry
Source	http://dx.doi.org/10.5880/bfo
Source publisher	GFZ Data Services
DOI	10.5880/bfo
Authors	Black Forest Observatory (BFO)
Contributors	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany HostingInstitution KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; University of Stuttgart, Germany HostingInstitution University of Stuttgart, Germany; Geophysical Institute (GPI), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany ResearchGroup KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Geodetic Institute (GIK), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany ResearchGroup KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Institute of Geophysics, University of Stuttgart, Germany ResearchGroup University of Stuttgart, Germany; Institute of Geodesy, University of Stuttgart, Germany ResearchGroup University of Stuttgart, Germany; Ansorge, Jörg ProjectMember University of Karlsruhe, Germany; Bohlen, Thomas ProjectLeader 0000-0003-2845-9537 Geophysical Institute (GPI), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany; KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Duffner, Peter ProjectMember KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Emter, Dieter ProjectMember University of Stuttgart, Germany; Forbriger, Thomas ProjectMember KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Fuchs, Karl ProjectLeader University of Karlsruhe, Germany; Grafarend, Erik ProjectLeader University of Stuttgart, Germany; Grossmann, Walter ProjectMember University of Karlsruhe, Germany; Heck, Bernhard ProjectLeader KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Joswig, Manfred ProjectLeader University of Stuttgart, Germany; Kutterer, Hansjörg ProjectLeader 0000-0002-7368-5675 KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Mälzer, Hermann ProjectLeader University of Karlsruhe, Germany; Müller, Stephan ProjectLeader University of Karlsruhe, Germany; Otto, Heinz ProjectMember University of Karlsruhe, Germany; Rietbrock, Andreas ProjectLeader 0000-0002-3946-7826 Geophysical Institute (GPI), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany; KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Sneeuw, Nico ProjectLeader 0000-0003-1796-0131 University of Stuttgart, Germany; Strobach, Klaus ProjectLeader University of Stuttgart, Germany; Wenzel, Friedemann ProjectLeader KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Wenzel, Hans-Georg ProjectLeader 0000-0003-3228-1970 KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Westerhaus, Malte ProjectMember KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; Widmer-Schnidrig, Rudolf ProjectMember University of Stuttgart, Germany; Wielandt, Erhard ProjectLeader University of Stuttgart, Germany; Zürn, Walter ProjectMember KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany;
References	Zürn, W. (2014). Listening to the Earth - the Schiltach Observatory BFO. Karlsruhe. https://doi.org/10.5445/IR/1000043755 10.5445/IR/1000043755 Cites Duffner, P., Forbriger, T., Heck, B., Westerhaus, M., Widmer-Schnidrig, R., & Zürn, W. (2018). Das Geowissenschaftliche Gemeinschaftsobservatorium Schiltach (BFO). Karlsruhe. https://doi.org/10.5445/IR/1000089813 10.5445/IR/1000089813 Cites Gottschämmer, E., Bohlen, T., Forbriger, T., Knopf, P., Ritter, J., & Wenzel, F. (2014). The Geophysical Institute (GPI) today. Karlsruhe. https://doi.org/10.5445/IR/1000043758 10.5445/IR/1000043758 Cites References IsPartOf INTERMAGNET, Altay-Sayan Branch Of Geophysical Survey Of Siberian Branch Of Russian Academy Of Sciences (Russia), Bureau Central De Magnétisme Terrestre, BCMT (France), Beijing Ming Tombs Geomagnetic Observatory Center, Institute Of Geology And Geophysics, Chinese Academy Of Sciences (China), Bogaziçi University, Kandilli Observatory And Earthquake Research Institute (Turkey), British Antarctic Survey (United Kingdom), British Geological Survey (United Kingdom), Centre De Recherche En Astronomie Astrophysique Et Géophysique (Algeria), Department Of Geophysics, Faculty Of Science, University Of Zagreb (Croatia), Dirección Meteorológica De Chile (Chile), École Et Observatoire Des Sciences De La Terre (France), Finnish Meteorological Institute (Finland), Fundació Observatori De L'Ebre (Spain), Geodetic And Geophysical Research Institute Of The Hungarian Academy Of Sciences (Hungary), Geological And Geophysical Institute Of Hungary (Hungary), Geological Institute Of Romania (Romania), Geological Survey Of Sweden (Sweden), Geophysical Center Of The Russian Academy Of Sciences (Russia), Geophysical Institute Of Slovak Academy Of Sciences, … Yu. G. Shafer Institute Of Cosmophysical Research And Aeronomy, Siberian Branch Of The Russian Academy Of Sciences (Russia). (2019). Global magnetic observatory data 2014 [Data set]. GFZ Data Services. https://doi.org/10.5880/INTERMAGNET.2014 10.5880/INTERMAGNET.2014 IsPartOf Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources. (1976). German Regional Seismic Network (GRSN). Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe. https://doi.org/10.25928/MBX6-HR74 10.25928/MBX6-HR74 IsPartOf Scripps Institution of Oceanography. (1986). Global Seismograph Network - IRIS/IDA [Data set]. International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks. https://doi.org/10.7914/SN/II 10.7914/SN/II IsPartOf IsPartOf IsPartOf IsPartOf IsPartOf HasPart IsPartOf IsPartOf IsPartOf Voigt, C., Förste, C., Wziontek, H., Crossley, D., Meurers, B., Pálinkáš, V., Hinderer, J., Boy, J.-P., Barriot, J.-P., & Sun, H. (2016). Report on the Data Base of the International Geodynamics and Earth Tide Service (IGETS). In Scientific Technical Report STR - Data; 16/08. Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ. https://doi.org/10.2312/GFZ.B103-16087 10.2312/GFZ.b103-16087 Cites
Citation	Black Forest Observatory (BFO). (1971). Black Forest Observatory Data [Data set]. GFZ Data Services. https://doi.org/10.5880/BFO
Geo location(s)	Laboratory Building area of permanent installations
Spatial coordinates	eLong 8.33089357 nLat 48.33071499 sLat 48.32891269 wLong 8.32303302