Filling the gaps: ice-srreaming and ice-sheet readvance in the western North Sea Basin

The aim of this research is to study the impact of glacial and interglacial cycles and ice streaming on the sediments of the North Sea Basin. An improved understanding of the past cycles of glaciation, timing and extent, has far reaching implications for better understanding global climate change and ice-sheet behaviour. The 1000 metre-thick Quaternary sediment sequence of the North Sea Basin forms the overburden and geological seals to underlying CO2 storage complexes and migration pathways (e.g. thief zones) for fluids. These Quaternary strata also form the foundations for offshore renewable installations and infrastructure for hydrocarbon exploration and extraction. The impact on geotechnical properties of glacial loading and unloading and lateral variation in these deposits is an important consideration for offshore development. Glacial geomorphology shapes the current sea-bed topography and glacial deposits determine sea-bed composition which impacts on the benthic community composition and distribution. Multibeam echosounder datasets have been combined with high-resolution topographic digital surface models (NEXTMap), 2D seismic reflection profiles, shallow vibrocore and borehole samples. Initial interpretations reveal a complex interplay of overprinted glacial landforms and a vastly more varied distribution of sea-bed sediments, the coarser fraction of which are derived from glacial deposits.