New understanding of rip currents could help to save lives

This is a press-release for a new paper – Wave breaking patterns control rip current flow regimes and surf zone retention, published by members of the coastal group which can be accessed here. Research by the Universities of Southampton and Plymouth has found a new link between breaking waves and the hazard posed by rip currents. The… Read More New understanding of rip currents could help to save lives

PILAB project sails through (cruise blog now live)

The Passive Imaging of the Lithosphere and Asthenosphere Boundary project aims at studying the interaction of the base of the rigid tectonic part (the lithosphere) with the softer layer underneath it – the asthenosphere. Understanding interaction between the two layers is essential in order to better understand what makes plates ‘plate-like’, and thus understanding the origin… Read More PILAB project sails through (cruise blog now live)

‘Skinny’ landslides and big earthquakes

Earthquakes and associated tsunamis can be exceptionally dangerous. In the last 12 years, earthquakes and tsunamis offshore Sumatra, Japan and Haiti have killed over 350,000 people. Despite this, many large and growing population centres are located close to plate boundaries worldwide, which is where most large earthquakes occur. It is therefore important to understand how… Read More ‘Skinny’ landslides and big earthquakes

Wave-induced coherent turbulence structures and sediment resuspension in the nearshore

Hachem Kassem, and co-authors Charlie Thompson, Carl Amos, and Ian Townend from the Geology and Geophysics research group have been studying the complex interactions between wave-induced turbulence and sediment resuspension. The results of their study, which used data collected during the Barrier Dynamics Experiment II (BARDEX II); a large EU funded project, part of the Hydralab IV framework… Read More Wave-induced coherent turbulence structures and sediment resuspension in the nearshore

BGA Postgraduate Research in Progress Meeting 2015

The University of Southampton/NOCS recently hosted the 2015 British Geophysical Association Postgraduate Research in Progress Meeting. The meeting brought together 43 postgraduate students to present their research across a wide range of fields, including: passive and active seismology, geomagnetism, resistivity, numerical modeling, CO2 storage and crater formation.   Attendees commented on the high standard of… Read More BGA Postgraduate Research in Progress Meeting 2015