Improving understanding of seabed & sub-seabed mapping, marine geohazards & their implications

Improving understanding of seabed & sub-seabed mapping, marine geohazards & their implications

High‑resolution seabed and sub-seabed mapping and geohazard assessment are essential for safe and sustainable offshore development. This theme focuses on advances in seabed and sub-seabed imaging, characterisation and geological modelling, as well as identification of hazards such as slope instability, fluid escape and sediment mobility. Papers are invited that show how improved understanding of marine environments supports risk reduction and responsible infrastructure planning and how data acquisition strategies can maximise the benefits of GI investment.

The offshore environment is becoming increasingly complex as development moves into deeper waters, more challenging terrains, and regions with limited historical data across all offshore energy sectors including seabed mining. High‑resolution seabed and sub‑seabed mapping, combined with robust geohazard assessment, is therefore critical to ensuring safe, resilient, and environmentally responsible marine infrastructure. This theme explores the latest scientific and technological advances that are enhancing our ability to image, interpret, and model the seafloor and the geological processes that shape it.

We highlight innovations in geophysical acquisition, remote sensing, USV and AUV based surveying, and integrated geological modelling that are delivering unprecedented clarity on seabed morphology and subsurface structure. These developments are enabling more accurate identification of hazards such as slope failure, shallow gas, fluid migration pathways, faulting, sediment mobility, and other dynamic processes that can influence offshore engineering design and operational risk.

As the demand for offshore wind, subsea cables, carbon storage, and other marine infrastructure grows, the need for reliable geohazard understanding becomes even more pressing. This theme therefore also examines how improved characterisation of marine environments supports better decision‑making — from early‑stage site selection and routing to detailed engineering and long‑term asset management. We welcome contributions that demonstrate how targeted data acquisition strategies, advanced processing techniques, and multidisciplinary interpretation can maximise the value of geotechnical and geophysical investment.

Papers, case studies, and conceptual advances are invited from across the marine geoscience, engineering, and environmental communities. Whether through novel imaging technologies, integrated hazard frameworks, or new approaches to modelling seabed processes, this theme celebrates the progress being made in understanding the offshore environment — and the critical role this knowledge plays in enabling safe, sustainable development.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS DEADLINE: 26 JUNE 2026

The conference organising committee invites authors to submit abstracts, of up to 250 words.

The conference proceedings will be produced with an ISBN number. All published papers will be Scopus indexed and have searchable DOI numbers.

Submission Timeline

• Friday 26 June 2026 – Deadline for completed abstracts
• Friday 17 July 2026 – All primary authors will have been notified of their abstract status and given technical paper instructions
• Friday 29 January 2027 – Submission of draft papers for review
• Friday 30 April 2027 – Submission of final papers for publication after addressing review comments.