Who we are:

The Deep Tow Research Group is a scientific research group of students under the direction of Dr. William Bryant within theDepartment of Oceanography at Texas A&M University.Our primary focus is on deepwater geology of the Gulf of Mexico using the high-resolution acoustics in conjunction with the latest sediment sampling techniques.

Our research efforts typically center on our deep-towed seismic system. A recent upgrade to the system takes us to a state of the art level of technology. Our system is now comprised of Chirp sub-bottom (2-7 kHz) and Chirp side-scan (90-110 kHz) components based on the Benthos SIS-1000 system.

In addition to seismic and sonar work the group continues to do extensive work on physical, acoustic, and stratigraphic properties of sediments. A recent project in conjunction with TAMU, NSF, URI, and a consortium of oil companies has collected over 100 jumbo piston cores and giant gravity cores from the Gulf of Mexico-the largest project of its kind.

A new and interesting component to our research is the investigation of deep-water archaeological sites. A joint effort between the Department of Oceanography and the Nautical Archaeology Program (NAP) makes this possible.

Through industry and educational collaborations, we continue to bring in data, samples, and ideas from all over the world. Take a few moments to explore some of our current and future work, along with the people that make it possible.

Current projects:

GOM furrows

During a deep-tow seismic survey in the Gulf of Mexico we discovered that the seafloor at the base of the Sigsbee Escarpment is cut by erosional furrows kilometers long and more than ten meter wide. This discovery allows us to infer that strong deepwater currents act along the Sigsbee Escarpment and may be a constraint to the design of offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Department of Oceanography and the Offshore Technology Research Center at Texas A&M are proposing a Joint Industry Project to study the nature and formation of mega-furrows in the the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. Navy Nuclear Research Submarine (NR1) Supported Research

During the summers of 2001 and 2002 the Deep-Tow Research Group, in collaboration with other organizations, conducted geophysical and archaeological research in the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico aboard the U.S. Navy Nuclear Research Submarine, NR1. Data is still being processed, but a sample can be seen HERE.

Seabed slope processes in deep water continental margin, Northwest Gulf of Mexico

Research project aimed at gaining understanding and predictive capabilities of sea-bed processes in deep water by a comprehensive characterization of sediment engineering and sedimentary propertties. Now reaching its conclusions, this project was conducted in collaboration with the University of Rhode Island, Marine Geomechanics Laboratories and sponsored by National Science Foundation in collaboration with Amoco, Chevron, Mobil, Texaco, Phillips, Marathon, Marsco, and Geotek. Interested to know more? Click here