UKRI-3201 New England Shelf Hydrogeology

The British Geological Survey acting on behalf of the ECORD requires a marine coring capability and suitable vessel to operate offshore New England USA, for a scientific drilling, coring and groundwater sampling campaign for a period of 75 – 90 days (estimated) between May and August 2024. This scientific coring project seeks to extend our understanding of the current and past states of fluid composition, pressure and temperature in continental shelf environments. In many coastal settings worldwide, the distribution of freshwater within continental shelf sediments is far out of equilibrium with modern sea level. One of the most remarkable examples is found on the Atlantic continental shelf off New England where groundwater within shallow Pliocene-Pleistocene sand aquifers over 100 km offshore has low salinity (3000 mg/l or less). This project will test several hypotheses to help constrain rates directions and mechanisms of groundwater flow and chemical fluxes in continental shelf sys.