Protection Guidelines:

Procedures

Research Cruises:

2005

2004

2003

Marine Mammal Protection Research

Seismic Research Contributes to Early Warning Systems

Mexico Crater Yields New Research

Related Links:

Understanding Ocean Acoustics

Report from the National Academies

Nationwide Lecture Series on Noise Impacts (PDF Download)

Continental Margins

• Continental margins provide the Earth's principal concentration of hydrocarbon and mineral resources, earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic and climatic hazards. They are also the regions containing the greatest human population density. Despite the societal and economic importance of margins, many of the mechanical, fluid, chemical, and biological processes that shape them are poorly understood. Scientists are using acoustic data to create maps of submerged continental margins around the globe, to reconstruct the history of ocean evolution, to understand the processes involved in creating zones of enormous earthquake and volcanic activity, and to help predict when and where future movements of the Earth will occur.

Processes in subduction zones need to be better understood in order to more accurately predict and calculate earthquake risks near such areas. Image: Olaf Svenningden, MARGINS