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The University of Southampton
Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton

Research project: 3D Chirp - Decimetre resolution sub-bottom profiling

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3D Chirp is a surface-towed sub-bottom profiling system capable of imaging the upper tens of metres of the sub-surface in three dimensions with decimetric horizontal and centimetric vertical resolution.

The combination of the known, highly repeatable Chirp source, with the coherent processing and interpretation afforded by true 3D seismic volumes provides the perfect base for shallow-water engineering, archaeology, military, and geological studies.

The system was developed at the National Oceanograhy Centre, Southampton, in collaboration with GeoAcoustics Ltd, Great Yarmouth, and the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, using funding from GeoAcoustics Ltd, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and English Heritage. Subsequently, it has been successfully used during surveys in various near-shore and harbour environments on the south coast of the UK and Holland, in Lake Windermere, UK, and, more recently, in the Bay of Trondheim and Finneidfjord, Norway.

3D Chirp is currently licensed to GeoAcoustics Ltd for commercial development, and the system continues to be used for research purposes at Southampton.

You can find more information on the 3D Chirp website

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