University of Plymouth books sub-bottom profiler for research purposes

The University of Plymouth has signed a technology partnership agreement with GeoAcoustics based on which it will use a GeoPulse Compact sub-bottom profiler for education and research purposes.

The University of Plymouth will in December take delivery of the system, which includes an Over-the-Side (OTS) transducer mount for deployment flexibility.

According to GeoAcoustics, the GeoPulse Compact enables the university to expand and enhance its teaching of the fundamentals, workflows and best practice of sub-bottom profiling with the opportunity to apply the theory in a live setting using an industry-standard shallow water acoustic system.

“With demand for marine data growing rapidly due to increased activity in offshore renewable energy, education and research partnerships are more essential now than ever. We are confident that our partnership with the University will contribute to producing new highly trained and technology aware marine surveyors and are also keen to support the research teams in their efforts to gather solid data for important marine research projects,” said Richard Dowdeswell, General Manager at GeoAcoustics.

The system will be integrated into undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, as well as broader academic research.

The partnership also includes the potential to switch to a next-generation GeoPulse system in 2023 as well as a one-day guest lecture and processing workshop for the university’s MSc Hydrography and BSc Ocean Exploration and Surveying students.

“We are excited to integrate this system into the third year of our BSc Ocean Exploration and Surveying programme, giving students the opportunity to get hands-on with collecting, processing, and analysing sub-bottom data,” said Jenny Gales, Senior Lecturer in Ocean Exploration at the University of Plymouth.

“This is becoming increasingly important in hydrography, reflected in current commercial, research and industry needs, and using this technology alongside our fleet of autonomous vessels will significantly improve our sub-seafloor mapping capabilities.”

In May, the University of Plymouth partnered up with Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult to establish a new research facility to accelerate the development and deployment of new offshore renewables products and services.

The agreement came after the one signed with Sonardyne with the purpose of driving innovation within the UK’s marine robotic and autonomous systems sector.