ALKOR AL447

During the ALKOR expedition AL 447, led by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, modern sonar techniques will be used to study natural and anthropogenic methane gas seepages in the North Sea. In addition to a detailed survey of the seabed, these imaging techniques are even able to detect small-scale processes such as turbulences caused by gas leakages. The combination of acoustic and optical methods helps to thoroughly analyse the amount and the pathways of escaping gases.

The main working areas of the 16-day expedition are located in the Central North Sea along the so-called "North Sea Trench" where natural and - in the course of oil and gas exploration activities - human-induced gas seepages can be observed.