It’s is going to be a busy week for the WALDO project PhD students. Tomorrow (5/03) they will attend the BELQUA 2024 Annual Scientific workshop. On Wednesday (6/03) they will attend the 2024 VLIZ Marine Science Day and they will each present a poster presentation. One poster presentation is focused on the North Axial Channel, where new seismic and vibrocore data was gathered on the last survey (October 2023). This data shows a complex incisional and depositional system and tries to entangle the palaeogeographical evolution of the North (inner) Axial Channel. The other poster will present preliminary results from the areas south of Dogger Bank and Oyster Ground, by the gathered data of the November 2022 and October 2023 survey. This data shows stratigraphic and geomorphic indicators that point to a complex and dynamic environment during the last glacial cycle.
The weekend of 9-10 March is going to be core-scanning weekend at UZ Ghent. A great number of cores will be CT-scanned at the hospital, so stay tuned for some sneak peaks of this on our Instagram/Facebook page!
My name is Jasper Desmet. I am a geology student from the University of Gent, currently in the last year of my master’s degree. I was given the opportunity by VLIZ and UGent to join this expedition for the WALDO project on the RV Belgica as a volunteer, and gladly took it. As of writing this, we are wrapping up the final measurements and heading back to port, which makes this the perfect time to reflect on the past ten days at sea.
The majority of the work conducted during this expedition was the collection of seismic data. The TOPAS (and multibeam) was always recording whenever the ship was moving, and it rarely isn’t. Furthermore, data was also collected using the multi-channel sparker system, although high waves limited the time interval in which it could be used. While the equipment operates smoothly, it must be manned 24/24h to deal with unexpected circumstances if they were to arise. For me, this meant waking up around 5:30 AM every day to aid during the morning shift from 6 to 12 AM, together with Morgan Vervoort, a PhD student from UGent as well. The start of the shift was usually spent in relative solitude until about 7:30 AM; when other scientists slowly joined us in the lab, to attend to their various duties.
Collecting TOPAS dataBelgian windfarm
The other type of data collected were seafloor samples taken with the VLIZ vibrocorer. The locations of these cores were carefully selected by the researchers in charge of the project, based on data from previous expeditions. My task was to aid in splitting the cores in 1 m sections and correctly labelling the cores on deck. The next step is then to split these cores into halves. One half is immediately photographed and described, the other is stored and kept as archives for later analysis in the lab. We managed to split a great number, but not all, of the cores while still on board during a day of calm seas. The rest will be handled at VLIZ/UGent.
Retrieving the sediment core from the VLIZ vibrocorerSplitting the cores in sections of 1 mMe, happily holding a core section!
Outside of working hours there was not a whole lot to do. With no phone connection and limited internet, I spend my free time working on school assignments or simply resting in my cabin. The occasional visit to the ship’s gym allowed for some necessary exercise.
In conclusion; it was a fun experience and great learning opportunity, that I would recommend to anyone getting the chance to join during their studies!
Next wednesday (4th of October) a team composed of VLIZ and UGhent researchers and students will board the RV Belgica for the second official WALDO survey. The planning? Coring and seismics! For a full 10 days we will cross the southern North Sea. Below, you can find a map of all the locations we will visit.
If you want some more info on the planning, and follow our adventures on the RV Belgica, make sure to visit their official website, and the Instagram (@waldonorthsea) or Facebook page of the WALDO project.
While one PhD student of the WALDO-project went to Italy for a foraminifera summer school, the other joined a survey with RV Simon Stevin (VLIZ) in the southern North Sea. As part of the Deep History project, seismic data (PES and single-channel sparker) and core data (vibrocore) were being gathered the 10-15th of June. And while people in Belgium were ‘suffering’ from the heatwave, the North Sea gave us the most lovely, sunny – and not as hot – weather for the survey.
While withstanding the heatwave in Rome, the two PhD students managed to present their posters. Some lovely chats with multiple (North Sea) interested scientists lead to new ideas an opportunities for the WALDO-project. On Thursday & Friday 7-8th September, we will attend the QRA Postgraduate Symposium (online). The current state of the project and some preliminary results will be shown, in the hope of starting a nice discussion with other postgraduate researchers.
The WALDO project and some preliminary results were presented at the BELQUA Conference (7th of March) and at the VLIZ PhD Symposium (23th of March) by Morgan Vervoort and Despina Kyriakoudi, respectively.
Presentation at the BELQUA ConferencePresentation at the VLIZ PhD Symposium
Both PhD students will also present at the upcoming INQUA conference (14-20 July 2023). Make sure to come by both poster presentations and have a talk with them!
The first official research cruise of the WALDO Project has been conducted from Friday 18 November 2022 until Wednesday 30 November 2022 aboard the new RV Belgica. The shipboard scientific team was consisting of 6 scientists and students from Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and Ghent University (RCMG, Dept. of Geology).
The new RV Belgica before sailing.The shipboard scientific team of the ‘WALDO’ survey 2022/30.
The WALDO project aims to test the hypothesis that proglacial lakes were important landscape features in the southern North Sea during the last three Quaternary glaciations. To achieve that the project focused on the acquisition of high-resolution geophysical data in several locations across the southern North Sea.
Track plot of survey 2022-30.
The EM304 multibeam system (MBES), the TOPAS PS18 parametric sub-bottom profiler and the multichannel Sparker reflection seismic system have been deployed to acquire the backscatter, bathymetric and seismic data.
Deployment of the multichannel Sparker seismic reflection system.
During the survey, several geophysical data have been collected from the following regions in the southern North Sea: (1) study site located between the IJmuiden Ver and Hollandse Kust West windfarms (off the coast of the Netherlands), (2) study site immediately east of the Dogger Bank, (3) study site at Oyster Grounds, (4) study site in the Southern Bight (in Dutch waters).
Based on the analysis of the data derived by this first exploratory survey, a new survey will be planned with RV Belgica to collect data from specific areas of interest. In the next research cruise, we will focus on acquiring more high-resolution geophysical data, along with ground truthing via core collection using the VLIZ’s vibrocore. More info (e.g., operation plan, cruise report, etc.) about this campaign can be found here.
From Friday 18 November 2022, until Tuesday 29 November 2022, RV Belgica will be surveying various study areas across the southern North Sea. A team consisting of 6 scientists from the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and Ghent University set sail for a WALDO-dedicated cruise expedition!
An overview map of the RV Belgica 2022-30 “WALDO” project’s first study areas.
The survey started with acquiring geophysical data from ‘Area A’, located between the IJmuiden Ver and Hollandse Kust West windfarms, off the coast of the Netherlands. The EM304 multibeam system (MBES), the TOPAS PS18 parametric sub-bottom profiler and the multichannel Sparker reflection seismic system have been deployed. Following the completion of this grid, we continued our exploration targeting the next study site.
High-resolution multichannel Sparker seismic reflection system – Data collection aboard RV Belgica.
After a “bumpy” transit towards the north, we finally arrived in ‘Area B’, located in the Oyster Ground, close to Dogger Bank. The MBES and TOPAS systems have been used to collect bathymetric, backscatter and seismic data.
Example of marine seismic data acquisition display.Example of the data collection process with the multibeam sonar.
Under rough sea conditions, we reached ‘Area C’ to continue the survey with the MBES and TOPAS systems. Unfortunately, the bad weather conditions didn’t allow us to complete the mapping as planned. So now, we are off to carry on our survey to the southern part of the North Sea!
The 27th annual Postgraduate Symposium was organized by the Quaternary Research Association and hosted by Sheffield Hallam University on the theme: ‘Postgraduate Research within Quaternary Science’.
On the 15th of September, a two-project combined survey started, including a first survey for the WALDO-project. In this survey we aimed to visit multiple sites: the Brown Bank and Axial Channel area and from the Axial Channel towards the Outer Silver Pit area. Unfortunately due to bad weather the first couple of days, the survey planning had to change a lot. But, we’re happy about the first TOPAS and multi-channel sparker data we already achieved in the Axial Channel. Furthermore, we already managed to take 10 vibrocores of more then 2m (with a maximum of 2.65m!).
Today is the 22th of September and we are planning to take a few more cores in the Axial Channel. An hopefully, on the last days we will complete our TOPAS-grid/sparker-grid on the Axial Channel and TOPAS-grid towards the Outer Silver Pit. And hopefully, the weather stays as good as yesterday!
First look at the TOPAS data from the Axial Channel.The vibrocore at sunset.Sunrise on Wednesday. The first deployment of the multichannel sparker system.
