SOEST geoscientist advises on challenges, opportunities in exploring deep Earth
Ship-based research has been key to advancing studies of Earth's surface beneath the world's oceans. Credit: Helen Janiszewski.
University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa earth scientist Helen Janiszewski was an invited speaker, along with other national leaders in marine geophysical instrumentation, at a recent workshop hosted by the National Academies of Sciences’ Committee on Solid Earth Geophysics. The workshop, “Advancing Marine Geophysical Sensing for Solid Earth Exploration” on May 28, highlighted emerging technologies that advance monitoring and exploration of the solid Earth beneath the oceans. The session aimed to provide researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers with a concise overview of current capabilities and future directions in marine geophysical sensing, a specialty that is critical in understanding seafloor resources, earthquake and volcanic hazards, and the inner Earth.
Janiszewski, who is an assistant professor of Earth Sciences at the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, discussed with the committee recent advances in traditional broadband ocean bottom seismic experiments, a technique that involves deploying seismometers on the seafloor to record seismic waves generated by earthquakes and other geological processes.
“These experiments provide a crucial window into the structure of the Earth’s interior beneath the ocean,” said Janiszewski. “The workshop was an important opportunity to highlight cutting-edge technologies and research directions that can advance solid-earth geosciences and mitigation of geologic hazards, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.”
Janiszewski’s presentation also included her perspectives on how the scientific community can best leverage knowledge from ocean bottom seismic datasets to inform developments in innovative geophysical research and infrastructure, specifically, cabled seafloor infrastructure, such as the SMART seafloor cables.
Janiszewski was one of eight invited speakers that included scientists from universities and research institutes across the country.
“It was an honor to be invited amongst this group of scientists to discuss frontier directions in marine geophysics research at this exciting time in our field,” said Janiszewski.
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