During the spring-summer intersession, we offer a three-week field course designed to provide hands-on instruction and training for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students in the acqui-sition and processing of marine geological and geophysical data. Now in its third year, the course covers high-resolution air gun and streamer seismic reflection, CHIRP sub-bottom profiling, multi-beam bathymetry, sidescan sonar, sediment coring, grab sampling, and the sedimentology of resulting seabed samples (e.g., core de-scription, grain size analysis, x-radiography, etc.). Students partici-pate in a week of classroom instruction, designed to provide theo-retical and technical background on each method, and then travel to the Gulf Coast for a week of at-sea field work. in the field, stu-dents rotate between two small research vessels: one vessel is used for multibeam bathymetry, sidescan sonar, and sediment sampling, and the other for high-resolution seismic reflection, CHIRP sub-bottom profiling, and gravity coring. Students are also involved in on-shore sedimentology lab work, data quality control, and data processing and visualization using industry-quality soft-ware. During the final week, students return to the classroom where, working in teams of three, they integrate and interpret data in a final project which examines the geologic history and/or sedimentary processes as typified by the Gulf Coast continental shelf. This course satisfies field experience requirements for some degree programs and thus provides an alternative to land-based field courses. http://ig.utexas.edu/jsg/mgg/courses/geof391/

ABSTRACT

VESSELS & INSTRUMENTATION

The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Field Marine Geology and Geophysics CourseM.B. Davis, S.P. Gulick, M.A. Allison, J.A. Goff, D.D. Duncan, S. Saustrup

ED15B-11

ON-SHORE LABS

EXAMPLES OF STUDENT PROJECTS PRODUCTS

TESTIMONIALS

Mead Allison supervises Kasten core deployment.

Following Kasten core recovery, stu-dents take sedmient sample for future analyses in the on-shore lab.

Using five laptops, students pro-cessed seismic multibeam ba-thymetry, and sidescan sonar data.

-Pre-Ike survey: May 19-23, 2008 - MG&G Field Course-Post-Ike survey: September 22-23, 2008 (Bolivar Roads Inlet) + October, 2008 (offshore Bolivar Peninsula) - ‘Rapid Response’ funding by JSG

Thumbs up on the incoming position data!

-Data collection: CHIRP seismic, multibeam ba-thymetry, sidescan backscatter, seafloor grab samples and box cores.-Goals: Identify and quantify sediment mass transport through inlets and across the shoreline during a major storm event.

-Results to be published:Goff, J.; Allison, M.; and Gulick, S.P.S., 2010, Off-shore transport of sediments during cyclonic storms: Hurricane Ike, 2008, Texas Gulf Coast, U.S.A., Geology, in press.

COURSE TIMELINE

In-class introduction to field area, multi-channel seismic, chirp, multibeam ba-thymetry and sidescan sonar acquisition and processing techniques.

3 Days

Field work: Four teams rotate between two vessels and an on-shore computer/sediment lab.

7 days

In-class introduction to seismic interpre-tation, data visualization, and sedimen-tary analysis

4 days

Final project workup and presentation.

4 days

UTIGUTIG

JSG Press Release

R/V AcadianaR/V Acadiana

R/V Lake ItascaR/V Lake Itasca

UTIG owns and operates a 22’ aluminum-hulled research vessel, the R/V Lake Itasca. The vessel is equipped with rack mounts that contain a Reson Seabat multibeam system. Other acoustic devices that have been towed by the Itasca include the UTIG CHIRP subbottom profiler, sidescan sonars, and acoustic Doppler current profilers. The vessel is equipped with a starboard side davit that has been used to deploy a vari-ety of water column gear including CTDs, grab samplers, gravity corers, isokinetic water samplers and niskin bottle samplers.

A team prepares to head out for a day of field work near Port Aran-sas, Texas, aboard the R/V Lake Itasca

Readying the R/V Lake Itasca in-cludes assembly of the multibeam sonar (Reson Seabat 8108 and maintaining the davit winch.

Students assist in deploying and re-covering a grab sampler at several locations.

Sediment samples are bagged and labeled for future analyses in the on-shore lab.

Students learn the art of trouble-shooting - racks inside the cabin house instrumentation for the mul-tibeam and position systems.

Students learn the importance of skills such as driving the boat in a straight line during a multibeam survey.

R/V MantaR/V Manta

The vessel is outfitted to support research and education activities in Louisiana coastal bays and nearshore waters. Fund-ing for the Acadiana’s construction pro-vided by the Louisiana Universities marine Consortium. Home port is at the Defiance Marine Center in Cocodrie, Louisiana.

Students learn about safety and technique when deploying equip-ment like the SB-0512i Sub-Bottom Towfish.

Sean Gulick and a student trouble-shoot air gun problems by checking connections.

A team adds weights to the seismic streamer near Corpus Christi, Texas.

Students work together to deploy the streamer once the ship has reached the survey area.

A student communi-cates with the ship’s captain during seis-mic operations.

A team discusses the incoming CHIRP profile and noting changes in sediment thickness.

Technical staff work with students disas-sembling a leaking air gun.

Students become experts at identifying and evaluating equipment problems.

Checking incoming position data using Fugawi software.

Learning the impor-tance of a well-noted underway watch log.

"The MG&G field course is easily the most valuable and unique educational experience I have ever had. All students in the class took part in planning, equipment setup, acquisition, data and sample processing, data integration and interpretation, and final presentation. Other programs around the country offer many field courses, including traditional geology, hydrology, and geophysics, but none offer this level of practical training and experience in the marine geosciences. Because of this course, I understand my own project better, have a better grasp on the important research in MG&G, and feel better prepared for a career in MG&G research." - Bobby Reece, graduate student, 2009

"I've had prior experiences in acquiring marine geophysical data and in preliminary QC, but this course was the first time where I was able to follow the process all the way through from mobiliza-tion, acquisition, processing, interpretation, and presentation of the data. It was honestly an invaluable experience in my under-graduate education and was a large factor in my decision to pursue graduate school this coming fall.” - Stephen Graf, undergraduate student, 2009

“More science classes should be taught this way! I learned more in those two weeks than I would have in two years of classroom learning. It not only teaches you geophysical skills, but teaches you about life at sea, which is equally as invaluable. This course will definitely determine whether this is a path a student wants to pursue.” - Kelley Brumley, visiting graduate student (UAF), 2008 (now a PhD student at Stanford)

A student weighs dried sediment samples.

At our makeshift sediment lab (2008 TAMUU; 2009, UTMSI), samples are separated into coarse and fine samples.

Google Earth image (bay and estuarine bathymetry, NOAA) showing survey areas during the 2008 Galves-ton, Texas, course debut. Students studied the history of sediment transport through the Bolivar Roads Inlet and along the shelf.

Earth and Sky radio series interview with John Goff

Tidal Influence on a Wave-Dominated Inlet: Geomorphologi-cal Development of Bolivar Roads Inlet, Texas. -Kelley Brumley, Eric Anderson, Ryan Elmore, 2008

Flood and Ebb Tide Deltas Galveston, TX - Kylara Martin, Oliver Pfost, Hilary Strong, 2008

Lydia Ann Channel and Aransas Pass - Anmar Davila, Tricia Alva-rez, Dana Helbert, 2009

Aransas Bay and Shoreface Marine Study - Amar Amir, Ste-phen Graf, Bobby Reece, 2009

Corpus Christi Bay and the An-cestral Nueces - Alke Baitis, Charlton Collum, Rebecca Co-meaux, 2009

Geophysical Survey and analy-sis of the Nueces offshore system and the Aransas Pass ebb tide delta - Dan’l Lewis and Jennifer Glidewell, 2009

Google Earth image (bay and estuarine bathymetry, NOAA.) showing survey areas during the 2009 Corpus Christi Bay and Aransas Bays, Texas, course. Students studied the history of the ancestral Nueces River and sediment transport along the shelf.

The 2009 class, instructors, and R/V Manta captain and crew in Port Aransas, Texas

Official vessel of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The Manta, a double hull catamaran design, is operated and maintained by NOAA. The ship is out-fitted with scientific winches , wet lab, and dry lab interior spaces, and a networked computer system. Under optimal condi-tions, the R/V Manta can reach speeds of 34 knots. Home port - Galveston, Texas

A happy student pre-pares to launch the ‘fish’, an Edgetech sid-escan sonar.

On deck, students set up the seismic system.