Objectives:

• Acquisition of high-resolution multibeam echosounding data and computation of the Digital Terrain Model – DTM of the sea floor, which depict the detailed geomorphology of the seabed and provides clues regarding the evolution of sediment dynamics on the continental slope, with potential implications for the stability of continental slope. The stability of the continental slope is important  in relationship with the exploitation of deep water methane reserves located in the  Exclusive Economic Zone  – EEZ of Romania at the Black Sea;
• Assessment of the water currents in the shelf break area;
• Mapping and characterization of relevant morphological and structural elements regarding the transport of sediments from the shelf area to the deep zone (canyons, channels, open or buried);
• Mapping and characterizing the morphological elements relevant to fluid dynamics (pockmarks, collapses, etc.), including the fluids seeps in the water column (gas bubbles originating from seafloor outcrops);
• Characterization (thickness, spatial extension, sediment nature of the modern sedimentary layers and assessment of potential submarine landslides;
• Drafting and production of a digital atlases with the relevant elements mentioned above, which would characterize the flexure zone and the upper part of the NW continental slope of the NW Black Sea (Romanian Sector). These atlases document the evolution of NW part of Black Sea in terms of sediment transport phenomena, the stability of the continental slope, with potential links to the exploitation of marine resources in the deep sea;
• Co-operation with other research groups in France (IFREMER) and Germany (MARUM, GEOMAR) that have worked in this area on the same topics;
• Presentation and dissemination of research results (at national and international level).

The Scientific/technical contribution of the project:

• Computation of a detailed DTM of the sea floor in the study area
• Creating an interpretative model regarding the geological evolution of NW Black Sea, with a special focus on the last 15,000 years, taking into account the implications for sediment transport on the continental slope and potential implications regarding the exploitation of deep water hydrocarbons in the Romanian EEZ;
• Drafting and production of digital atlases with all mapped elements regarding the detailed morphology, structure, dynamics and stability of sea floor and sediment layers, and associated phenomena (fluid dynamics) in the flexure zone and the upper continental slope of Romania’s EEZ;
• Linking the Romanian marine geological research to the EU and world trends in the scientific study of recent geological developments and sustainable exploitation of marine basins for energy resources.