IFOSISMO

Type Oceanographic cruise
Ship Côtes De La Manche
Ship owner CNRS until 2019 - IFREMER since 2020
Dates 20/09/2012 - 23/09/2012
Chief scientist(s) GUTSCHER Marc-André ORCID

GEO-OCEAN - UMR 6538

Univ. Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ. Bretagne Sud

Place Nicolas Copernic

29280 Plouzané

https://www.geo-ocean.fr/

DOI 10.17600/12480060
Objective

The Ushant front forms on the continental shelf to the west of Brittany in the Iroise Sea each summer. This tidal warm front separates stratified water (warm at surface) to the West, from homogeneous waters mixed by the tide (cool at surface) to the East. Understanding the dynamics of this structure is of interest both in terms of biology (e.g. occurrences of phytoplankton blooms) and physical oceanography (mesoscale structures and fine structures linked to the internal tide and mixing processes). In situ measurement techniques for physical parameters of water (XBT, CTD, gliders) offer only limited horizontal resolution, which limits our ability to apprehend the details of oceanographic structures. Imaging of the water column using seismic reflection is a fairly new technique which can be used to image the thermohaline structure at a horizontal scale of about ten metres, which is two to three times better than the so-called classic oceanographic methods. The objective of this cruise is to obtain imaging of the water column structure in the Iroise Sea using combined and simultaneous seismic and oceanographic acquisitions. The project follows on from a series of oceanographic cruises called FromVar (2006-2010) conducted by the LPO at Ifremer, which aimed to advance our knowledge about the Ushant Front's physical structure, dynamics, variability and associated phenomena. In addition, it is part of a PhD study underway (to be defended in late 2012) financed by the Brittany regional council and fits into the current drive for new seismic oceanographic studies with a network of partners over Europe. This cruise is related to a PhD grant from the Brittany regional council (ISOMER) and to the LabexMer project.

Bibliography

Publications

Ker StephanORCID, Le Gonidec Y., Marie Louis (2016). Multifrequency seismic detectability of seasonal thermoclines assessed from ARGO data. Journal Of Geophysical Research-oceans, 121(8), 6035-6060. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC011793 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00347/45801/


Ker StephanORCID, Le Gonidec Yves, Marie Louis, Thomas Yannick, Gibert Dominique (2015). Multiscale seismic reflectivity of shallow thermoclines. Journal Of Geophysical Research-oceans, 120(3), 1872-1886. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JC010478 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00254/36535/


Piete Helene, Marie Louis, Marsset Bruno, Thomas Yannick, Gutscher Marc-Andre (2013). Seismic reflection imaging of shallow oceanographic structures. Journal Of Geophysical Research-oceans, 118(5), 2329-2344. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrc.20156 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00141/25193/


References of Technical Reports

Thomas Yannick, Marsset Bruno, Marie Louis, Ker StephanORCID, Piete Helene (2013). Compte rendu de mission : MISSION IFOSISMO, N/O Le Côtes de la Manche 20-23 Septembre 2012. Adéquation de la source sismique Sparker à l'imagerie de la thermocline en mer d'Iroise. PDG/REM/GM/EIS-08022013-01.


References of Articles published in periodicals and magazines for the general public

EOS Spotlight 2013: Seismic imaging of the upper océan, Eos, Vol. 94, No. 23, 4 June 2013.

References of International Seminar Communications

Piete, H., Marie, L., Marsset, B., Gutscher, M.-A., 2012. Seismic imaging of small scale horizontal structures of the shallow thermocline on the Western Brittany continental shelf (North East Atlantic) AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, Dec. 2012.

Thesis using campaign data

Helen Piete, 2012. Imagerie Sismique et Océanographique des Masses d?Eau sur le plateau continental breton. Thèse soutenue Dec. 2012, Univ. Bretagne Occidentale (UBO - Univ. Brest).