MG31A:
Seabed Mapping: A Global Challenge I


Session ID#: 37313

Session Description:
The final frontier for Earth exploration lies beneath its oceans. With less than 10 % of the worlds seabed mapped in high resolution, the challenge to uncover geological landscapes and map global benthic habitats continues. Increasing focus on the raw economic value of the world’s oceans threatens the health of underexplored ecosystems. Multidisciplinary studies of the marine area are crucial to understanding and ultimately helping to sustain the health and biological diversity of our oceans, while supporting the management of marine energy and raw material resources. Marine policy and maritime spatial planning are guided worldwide by regional and national seabed mapping programmes (SMP), as well as by international scientific collaborations. By evolving with advancements in the latest technology and data analytics, SMP assesses marine geohazards, update admiralty charts and create geological maps that facilitate marine engineering infrastructures and safe shipping. This session will provide a forum for geoscientists and representatives of international ocean mapping initiatives to share their expertise in the science and technology of seabed mapping, review seabed mapping standards and products, and discuss future challenges. Speakers are invited to address topics on the following: integration of interdisciplinary science; SMP strategies; alignment with government priorities and interaction with stakeholders.
Primary Chair:  Maria T Judge, Geological Survey of Ireland, Marine Geology, Dublin, Ireland
Co-chairs:  Carol Cotterill, ECORD Science Operator, British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Hayley C Cawthra, University of Cape Town, Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, Cape Town, South Africa and Daniel S Brothers, U.S. Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
Moderators:  Maria T Judge, Geological Survey of Ireland, Marine Geology, Dublin, Ireland, Hayley C Cawthra, University of Cape Town, Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, Cape Town, South Africa, Carol Cotterill, ECORD Science Operator, British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, United Kingdom and Daniel S Brothers, U.S. Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
Student Paper Review Liaisons:  Carol Cotterill, ECORD Science Operator, British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, United Kingdom and Daniel S Brothers, U.S. Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
Index Terms:

1635 Oceans [GLOBAL CHANGE]
3045 Seafloor morphology, geology, and geophysics [MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS]
3094 Instruments and techniques [MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS]
Cross-Topics:
  • B - Biodiversity
  • CD - Coastal Dynamics
  • ED - Education, Outreach and Policy
  • OD - Ocean Data Management

Abstracts Submitted to this Session:

Building a Global Ocean Map through International Collaboration – Seabed 2030 (321175)
Vicki Lynn Ferrini, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United States
Transit Bathymetry: Making the Most of Every Nautical Mile (315938)
Colin William Devey1, Nico Augustin1, Anne-Cathrin Woelfl1 and Michael Schulz2, (1)GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany, (2)MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, Univ. Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Translating National Seabed Mapping Programme Expertise into Deep Sea Mapping Exploration Capability (316983)
Maria T Judge1, Fabio Sacchetti2, Bramley J Murton3, Aggeliki Georgiopoulou4, Julian F Menuge4, Steven Philip Hollis5 and Xavier Monteys6, (1)Geological Survey of Ireland, Marine Geology, Dublin, Ireland, (2)Marine Institute, Galway, Ireland, (3)National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, (4)University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, (5)CSIRO, Perth, Australia, (6)INFOMAR, Geological Survey of Ireland, Marine and Geophysics Programme, Dublin, Ireland
A Morphometric Analysis and Classification of Mediterranean Submarine Canyons (307763)
Sian Pledger, University of Malta, Geoscience, Msida, Malta and Aaron Micallef, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

See more of: Marine Geology and Sedimentology