Seabed mapping in the Dutch sector of the North Sea
article
A reconnaissance mapping program in the Dutch sector of the North Sea provided information on the exploration of seabed for sand and gravel resources. Bathymetric and side scan sonar data collected by the Hydrographic Office were used to establish the boundaries between the different grain-size classes of the seabed sediments. A dense pattern of seismic surveys was carried out with a wide range of systems, varying from single-channel systems with centimeters to decimeters resolution to multi-channel systems with resolutions between one and seven meters. A new method was developed and used for the automated analysis of sand waves from both single-beam and multi-beam echosounding data. The preliminary results suggest that sand wave migration rates in the North Sea are highly variable. The combination of hydrographic databases with increasing geological knowledge helped to lead a better understanding of both the seabed behavior and composition.
Topics
GeologyGravelHydrographic surveysSandSedimentsUnderwater imagingAutomated analysisHydrographic databasesSeabed mappingSeismic surveysMarine engineeringGeologyGravelHydrographic surveysMarine engineeringSandSedimentsUnderwater imagingbathymetric surveydata acquisitionexplorationgrain sizemarine sedimentsand and gravelseafloor mappingseismic surveysonarspatial resolutionAtlantic OceanNorth Sea
TNO Identifier
953834
ISSN
00933651
Source
Sea Technology, 47(8), pp. 47-51.
Pages
47-51
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