GM-21-01A: Offshore Analysis of Seafloor Instability and Sediments (OASIS Partnership) With Applications to Offshore Safety and Marine Archaeology

Gravity flows (GF) (or currents) in the Mississippi River Delta Front (MRDF) are known to displace large volumes of sediment mixed with seawater. These high-energy events have damaged infrastructure, causing multiple oil spills including the second largest oil spill in U.S. history. GF additionally have displaced shipwrecks hundreds of meters over short time periods, potentially impacting these wrecks and further endangering nearby oil and gas infrastructure. There is currently a limited understanding of the triggering mechanisms for GF, the dynamic processes at work once they are underway, as well as their frequency, power, and scale. This study will identify high, intermediate, and low-risk areas for future occurrence of GF. Researchers contributing from multiple Federal agencies will identify key locations to deploy monitoring equipment able to detect intermediate to large high-energy sediment transport events. They will also obtain a better understanding of environmental factors and processes that initiate these events in the MRDF and test new and/or existing technologies to detect and monitor GF events. New and existing data sets will be utilized to characterize sediments and physical oceanographic processes at selected locations in the MRDF, including known shipwreck locations; conduct baseline archaeological analysis at these sites; and test if in situ acoustic sensors could monitor potential future shipwreck displacement due to GF activity.
Categories: Environment.