On Tuesday 2/05, we started with the XRF scanning of the cores. With 1h30 for roughly one section of 1 m at 10 mm resolution, we were able to scan five cores already!
However, we still have a few to go. After the weekend, we will try to finish all the cores. In the meantime, we will enjoy everything the island of Texel is offering!
From the 2nd to the 8th of May, we will be scanning our cores with the Avaatech XRF core scanner in the NIOZ institute, Texel (NL). We will be posting updates on our Instagram page throughout the week. Stay tuned!
In the weekend of 9-10/03, a total of 24 cores were scanned with the CT-scanner of the UZ Ghent hospital. Here are some pictures of the PhD students at work and an example of the incoming CT data.
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!
Hello dear readers,
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.
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.
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.
WALDO’s PhD researcher participated in the International School on Foraminifera in Urbino (Italy). The course was held between 5-24 of June 2023 and it was mainly intended for early career researchers and industrial personnel working with Foraminifera, Micropalaeontology, Paleoceanography, Paleoecology, and Climate History. The training consisted of the following modules: (1) Introduction to the Foraminifera, (2) smaller benthic foraminifera, (3) larger benthic foraminifera, and (4) planktonic foraminifera. The course was taught by internationally recognised lectures, with approx. 60 hours of lectures, 60 hours of practical and an one-day field trip focusing on the classic micropaleontological localities near Gubbio!
The International School on Foraminifera (ISF) has officially started this week!
Lectures and practical exercises are taking place in the Collegio Internazionale – University of Urbino, in the historic city of Urbino (Italy) between 5th and 24th June 2023.
As a leading training school focused on studying foraminifera, it aims to provide an overview of the Taxonomy, Ecology, Biodiversity, and Geological History of Benthic and Planktonic Foraminifera. The course consists of four modules: Introduction to the Foraminifera, smaller benthic foraminifera, larger benthic foraminifera, and planktonic foraminifera.
In the following three weeks, WALDO’s PhD student will be participating in this program to specialise in this sector, by getting more knowledge about (paleo)environmental and (paleo)oceanographical indicators and proxies.
The teaching staff consists of various experts in the field, many of whom are professors and/or active researchers with remarkable awards for their research and teaching achievements.
A big thanks to Prof. Fabrizio Frontalini, Prof. Michael A. Kaminski, and Dr. Claudia Cetean for the great introduction today!
25 November 2022
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!
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.
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.
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!