Worldwide Internal Soliton Criteria

Date/Time:

14 Mar 2012
11:30-12:00

Location:

South Galleries

Seminar Details
This paper describes a project to improve characterisation of internal soliton activity in regions of oil and gas activity worldwide. Solitons are the name commonly used to describe particularly large internal waves, associated with strong and rapidly varying currents. Soliton impact remains a potential hazard that needs to be identified in a number of frontier regions. Increasing levels of prediction and quantification are required to support later phases of field development. Solitons remain an operational hazard during the life of an offshore asset that would benefit from improved prediction in several regions. The first tier of the project includes an engineering focussed review of published literature, analysis of extensive satellite databases and relatively simple modelling of internal wave generation. This includes an update of the well established Internal Wave Atlas in a Geographical Information System (GIS) format. The results are intended to support asset appraisal or early exploration, before in-situ measured data are required. A second tier of the project is also proposed, to develop improved soliton early warning systems and new generic methodologies for derivation of soliton engineering design criteria. Gus Jeans, Fugro GEOS; Chris Jackson, Global Ocean Associates; William Jeffery, Fugro NPA; Vasiliy Vlasenko, University of Plymouth; Al Osborne, Nonlinear Waves Research Corporation