Marine Geoscience
The NOC Marine Geoscience group undertakes multi-disciplinary studies of seafloor and sub-seafloor environments throughout the World’s oceans, from the poles to the tropics and from the coast to the deepest trench. The group has an international reputation for research excellence based on technical innovation and the application of those techniques to applied research in marine science. By integrating cutting-edge technology with advanced mapping and observational techniques, NOC geoscientists are able to address major societal and environmental issues across the World's oceans.
- The group is increasingly utilising cutting-edge technology, with tools such as Autosub6000 and ROV Isis enabling high-resolution mapping of geological and biological hotspots, e.g. hydrothermal vent systems, submarine canyons and giant landslides.
- These mapping data are combined with in situ monitoring to provide information on geochemical and biological fluxes at a variety of spatio-temporal scales, from climate-driven dissociation of gas hydrates to anthropogenic impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems.
- Integration of empirical observations and numerical/experimental modelling provides new insight into processes such as pore fluid migration and landslide-tsunami generation.
- These studies all contribute vital information to a range of topical marine issues, including sustainable resource exploitation, geohazard assessment, spatial conservation measures and ocean governance.
The group is sub-divided into four sub-groups: Marine Geochemistry, Marine Geophysics, Marine Geohazards and Sedimentology, and Seafloor and Habitat Mapping.
