Camilla Moore

PhD Studentship on Mapping potential wreck sites with seafloor data - scientific, social and legal considerations

Hi, I'm Camilla Moore and I am a Leverhulme Trust Doctoral scholar studying within the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute at the University of Southampton.

The Leverhulme Trust and SMMI have enabled me to undertake research and be part of an exciting interdisciplinary project, one which demonstrates the relevance of an archaeological approach to modern and current issues. Having studied my MSc in Maritime Archaeology at Southampton prior to working for several years in industry, I am delighted to be back. I look forward to working with an excellent interdisciplinary team of supervisors and within the SMMI which has a reputation for excellent marine related research.

A significant number of potentially polluting shipwrecks resulting from WWII are located on the seafloor. The pollutants carried on board may include oil, explosive remnants of war (ERW) or other toxic materials. Leakage of pollutants from such wrecks may take place continuously or catastrophically, and the risk of such an event increases with time as these wrecks degrade. The location of several of these wrecks is known, but the majority sank without exact information on their location.

This project will combine a review of historical records with the prevailing weather and oceanographic conditions at the time of sinking in order to define areas where the wrecks may be. These zones will be cross- referenced against swath bathymetry targets to facilitate an assessment of the environmental risk present in the various areas of the UK Continental Shelf. Key to this project is the co-consideration of legal responsibilities for identifying and locating such wrecks and ensure they are not polluting the seas.

The project is interdisciplinary with a supervisory team comprising Dr Fraser Sturt (Archaeology), Dr Justin Dix (Ocean and Earth Science), Professor Mikis Tsimplis (Law and Ocean Sciences) and Andy Liddell (Ministry of Defence).