My research focuses on characterising sub-seafloor sediments using seismic reflection profiling.
Finnish geology has been strongly shaped by the melting of the Fennoscandian ice sheet. The resulting deposits are often better preserved offshore than on land, but are difficult to image with geophysics due to their complex morphology. GTK recently acquired Finland’s first marine multi-channel seismic system for the R/V Geomari, enabling sub-seafloor imaging with greatly improved resolution and depth penetration. My objective is to characterise the distribution and structure of glacial deposits using this data, together with cone-penetrometer measurements and cores. I will develop methods to invert for geotechnical parameters directly from seismic data, reducing the need for costly sediment sampling.
Improved seafloor characterisation is crucial for offshore engineering such as wind farms, pipelines and cables, key to transitioning to a decarbonized energy sector. As such, the project supports Finland’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2035 while advancing knowledge of glacial processes.
