​In late 2018, 18 ocean-bottom seismometers were deployed in the North Atlantic. The seismometers, with names given to them by Irish school children, have been recording seismic data since then.

For the last two weeks, a team from the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) was on board RV Celtic Explorer to retrieve the seismometers from the ocean floor. The data will now be studied and will help us in our understanding of the bedrock and tectonics of offshore Ireland. A greater understanding of the seismic activity will enhance the onshore Irish National Seismic Network and will contribute to the development of a tsunami warning system for Ireland and our North Atlantic neighbours. 

The SEA-SEIS project is co-funded by the Science Foundation Ireland, Geological Survey Ireland, and the Marine Institute.  The ocean-bottom seismometers are provided by iMARL, the "Insitu Marine Laboratory for Geosystems Research" hosted by DIAS. RV Celtic Explorer is run by the Marine Institute.

Read the RTÉ News report here.  

Read the DIAS news article here.

Image: The safe return of one of the ocean-bottom seismometers. All octopuses were carefully returned to the sea!