R&D PROJECTS
Project: Geophysical Oceanography (GO)
A New Tool to Understand the Thermal Structure and Dynamics of Oceans
by Richard Hobbs, University of Durham, UK
http://www.dur.ac.uk/eu.go/index.html
This pioneering project is the first dedicated EU project to address this novel research area that will ultimately bring the spatial resolution of the sub-surface seismic image, as used by the hydrocarbons industry, to address problems in oceanography. The project places demands on both sides: for the geophysicists, proving how the observed reflections are linked to boundaries in the water column; for the oceanographer, being able to build models and interpret data on the 10 m scale rather than the 1 km scale; and together, understanding how a 2-D snapshot of the 3-D ocean structure can be interpreted and translated into understanding of the dynamics of heat and mass transfer.
A major goal will be providing the confidence to use legacy seismic data collected for academic research and hydrocarbon exploitation for understanding ocean processes. The project will: produce a joint interpretation from a combined calibration experiment with the simultaneous collection of both seismic and oceanographic data in the Gulf of Cadiz; build models based on oceanographic research and compute synthetic seismic data to test strategies; explore novel methods to use seismic data to understand processes involved in ocean mixing including internal waves and interaction with continental slopes; and establish research expertise in the EU at centres of excellence that can be used for training and exploitation of this new opportunity and that can compete with non-EU laboratories. Ultimately, the project will provide new tools to aid monitoring ocean circulation and heat transport which are important for the study of climate change.
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Marine seismic reflection image that cross the Portimao Canyon to the south of Portugal. The strong event on the section is the sea-bed. The reflection events above are caused by fractional changes in the temperature and salinity of the sea-water. Warm saline water flows out of the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar, it then flows down the southern margin of Portugal until it reaches its point of neutral buoyancy when it breaks free of the slope and forms a layer between 800 and 1500m depth. The reflectivity is created by the juxtaposition of this water with the cooler less saline atlantic water. Data supplied by TGS-Nopec. Processed using Landmark Graphics Promax at Durham University |
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