by
Thomas B. Opishinski, Ocean Engineer,
Ocean Data Equipment Corporation |
| During the past decade,
geophysical studies in the Antarctic region have enhanced our understanding of expected
responses of Antarctic glacial, oceanic and biotic systems to recent warming trends and
environmental changes. Scientists have focused their analysis on the structure of marine
sediment layers to correlate periods of increased glaciation (i.e., cooling trends and ice
ages) with declines in sedimentation and overall biological sediment content and
environmental warming with an increase in biological activity and resulting sedimentation.
Until recently scientists employed seismic and air gun profiling systems (deep penetration
but low resolution) and high resolution sediment coring to provide raw data for their
investigations. |
| In 1995, scientists at Hamilton College
in Clinton, New York (Sponsored by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science
Foundation) began using Ocean Data Equipment Corporation’s Bathy-2000
sub-bottom profiling system with FM chirp capability to acquire high
resolution marine sediment data in the upper 100 meters of the sea floor. Increased
resolution of the Bathy-2000 sub-bottom data over seismic and
air gun profiling systems affords scientists improved correlations with core data. This
approach has excited scientists because they are presently discovering evidence of
sediment reflectors (i.e., layers), not previously resolved by seismic and air gun
profiling systems. |
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| The success of the Bathy-2000
system in the Antarctic region has improved knowledge of the environmental changes over
the last 10,000 years and improved correlations of the marine sediment stratigraphy to
environmental variations. In the future, scientists at Hamilton College plan to continue
surveys of the Antarctic marine stratigraphy using the Bathy-2000
sub-bottom system and to relate the environmental changes to climatic episodes recognized
as important intervals in mid to high latitude records. |
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