Geology Department Postgraduate Web Pages

Name: Ciaran Sutton

Contact Details

Title of Project

Seismic Imaging of variable water layer sound structure in Rockall Trough, NE Atlantic

Project details

A new application of an old technique to study the Earth’s interior is allowing us to see layers in the ocean, providing a new insight on oceanic structure and mixing processes. The new adaptation of seismic reflection profiling can create detailed pictures of eddies, internal waves, and other oceanic features that affect climate, fisheries and the spread of pollution. This project focuses on the Rockall Trough area off the West coast of Ireland, in which the reprocessed profiles show a bright reflective channel at a depth of 1-1.5 km. At this depth water layer sound speed is most variable due to changes in temperature and density.

Name of supervisor

Supervisor: Dr John Graham
Co-supervisors: Dr Steve Jones (University of Birmingham) and Dr Rob Hardy

Postgraduate personal details

I graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2008, with a B.A mod Geology. My final year project entitled “Imaging the water column using seismic processes” introduced me to the concept of using both seismic and oceanographic measurements to image the NE Atlantic. These two processes are used in my PhD to image and measure more fine-scale structure in the oceans, such as internal waves. The analysis of these internal waves in Rockall Trough is one of the main focuses of my PhD. In the Summer of 2007 and 2008 I gained some industry experience working with Tullow Oil.

Project Start Date

Publications

Jones, S.M., Sutton, C., Hardy, R.J.J., Hardy, D. [2009] Seismic imaging of variable water layer sound speed in Rockall Trough, NE Atlantic, and implications for seismic surveying in deep water, Petroleum Geology of Northwest Europe: Proceedings of the 7th Conference [in press].