The University of Southampton has entered into a research agreement with The Crown Estate to provide specialist expertise to projects involving the seabed and near surface geology of UK waters.
The Crown Estate manages the seabed out to 12 nautical miles and approximately half of the foreshore around the UK. Marine research is crucial for informing projects on its marine estate, including offshore renewable energy projects which The Crown Estate grants lease agreements for.
The agreement made with the University is part of The Crown Estate's initiative to establish a network of quality research providers, creating a series of expert 'nodes', which are each broadly focused on a particular scientific specialisation.
Southampton joins other higher education institutions, including the universities of Durham, St Andrews and Swansea, as a research partner of The Crown Estate.
Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton, which is a hosting partner of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS), has well established expertise in the interpretation of seabed geology and has previously undertaken research on topics as wide ranging as the landscapes associated with the earliest human occupation of the British Isles; the dynamics of offshore sandbanks; coastal habitat mapping of the seabed in the English Channel; and the detection of buried objects in underwater environments.
Southampton's first project with The Crown Estate will investigate the distribution, origin and evolution of coarse sand deposits on the continental shelf. This work will provide essential background information for The Crown Estate in terms of asset management, but will also provide invaluable data for a range of seabed users including the marine aggregates industry and renewable energy sectors, as well as scientists interested in the recent geological history of the British Isles.
Dr Justin Dix, Senior Lecturer in Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton, says: "We are delighted to be part of the research network. Work in this area is essential to a number of marine sectors as well as providing insights into more fundamental scientific and archaeological questions."
Professor Mike Cowling, The Crown Estate's Chief Scientist adds: "We are delighted to be working with the University of Southampton, who are among the world leaders in their field. Their expertise will play a vital part in informing how we manage the seabed and help the UK to meet its carbon reduction requirements."
Notes for editors:
The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.
With over 23,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover well in excess of £435 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres including the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Web Science Trust and Doctoral training Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute and is a partner of the National Oceanography Centre at the Southampton waterfront campus.
For further information and an image, contact:
Charlotte Woods, Media Relations, University of Southampton, Tel: 023-8059-2128, email: c.woods@soton.ac.uk
http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/
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