Issue 5, June, 2003. News from the EU-SEASED Partners - NGU written by Terje Thorsnes, Norges Geologiske Undersoekelse, Trondheim, Norway Exciting landscapes in the Big Deep The  landscape  under  the  sea  surface  is  more exciting  than  most  people  would  think.  Modern technology has revolutionised our understanding of  the  sea-floor  landscape  and  the  Geological Survey of Norway uses that technology actively in its  research  programs.  Giant   coral   reefs, enormous    pockmarks    and    dramatic    slide escarpments are some of the spectacular features revealed    by    the    combined    application    of multibeam     bathymetry     and     advanced  visualisation   tools.   Using   animation    software, amazing fly-throughs can be made, and examples of this can be found at the NGU website (www.ngu.no). 3D view of the back wall of the Trena Deep slide (Trænadjupet) Norwegian Sea, at c. 400 m water depth. On the plateau to the right, ice berg plough marks are seen. Circular mounds along the plough marks are 5-10 meter high colonies of Lophelia pertusa, the now famous cold water coral reef building organism. MAREANO moving north The   integrated   mapping   and   database   project MAREANO is moving north, from the Norwegian Sea   to   the   Barents   Sea.   Coordinated   by   the Geological   Survey   of   Norway,   the   Institute   of Marine     Research     and     the     Norwegian  Hydrographic Service, this multi-million proposal aims at providing the basic framework in terms of bathymetry,    geology,    habitats    and    pollution, embedded in a virtual database system accessed by a web based GIS system. "Eco-system based area management in the Barents Sea is strongly emphasized by the Norwegian government, and the suggested programme is a response to this" says   Terje   Thorsnes,   programme   manager   at NGU. Meeting place for geologists and biologists The    quickly    evolving    interest    for    integrating geology   and   biology   is   evident.   The   second annual    meeting    of    the    GeoHab    network    in Tasmania, May 2003, was an important meeting place  for  all  scientists  involved  in  cross-cutting projects. GeoHab is the acronym for "Geological and biological habitat mapping", and the primary goal is to bring together scientists from around the world    working    on    the    development    of    new thematic   maps   linking   acoustic   mapping   and geological    sampling    to    marine    biology    in    a Geographical Information System environment to underpin   sustainable   ocean   management.   For further details check out www.ngu.no/geohab. Coral  reefs  on  glacial  ridges  form  a  special  habitat  having  vast ecological  importance  in  Norwegian  waters.  These  mounds  are from the Sula Ridge, and were mapped by multibeam bathymetry. A new "must" map for marine and offshore geologists A    brilliant    pre-Quarternary    bedrock    map    of Northern   Europe   covering   both   onshore   and offshore regions was published by the Geological Survey of Norway in January 2003. The map has involved contributions from geological surveys in 23   countries,   and   a   number   of    research institutions and oil companies. Paper copies are available  for  order,  and  a  full  digital  version  will come later in 2003 (www.ngu.no) Previous page | Next page