Andy Wheeler

• Professor
• University College Cork

Multibeam echosounders provide ideal data for the semi-automated seabed feature extraction and accurate morphometric measurements. In this study, bathymetric and raw backscatter data were initially used to manually delimit the reef morphologies found in an insular semi-enclosed gulf in the northern Aegean Sea (Gera Gulf, Lesvos Island, Greece). The...

The Confined Morphologies Mapping (CoMMa) Toolbox, a novel ArcGIS Pro python toolbox expressly created for semi-automated seabed morphological mapping, is presented here. The toolbox includes a selection of tools for the pre-processing, delineation and description of confined features on a digital elevation model (DEM) that are either negative or p...

The Irish continental margin (ICM) encompasses many complex sedimentary basins and diverse geomorphological features displaying bedrock outcrops where a large variety of habitats can be observed. This large area of seabed extends over >400,000 km² and cannot be mapped manually or in a standardized way. Novel bedrock suitability mapping is applied t...

Cold-water coral ecosystems in Irish and UK waters, particularly those created by framework-building scleractinian corals, are relatively well studied, owing in part to a rich history of geological and oceanographic research in these waters, decades before they were mapped and characterised in terms of their biodiversity. This chapter explores this...

Cold-water corals (CWC) form reef structures in continental margin and seamount settings at tropical, temperate, and even some polar latitudes. This global distribution makes them more widespread than shallow-water reefs, while their role in these regions is no less important than the influence that shallow-water coral reefs have on shallow, tropic...

The Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphological Map (ISSGM) (v2023) presented here, is the first high-resolution geomorphological map of the entire Irish continental shelf. This large-scale mapping exercise took advantage of the vast INFOMAR multibeam echosounder dataset, and used a protocol of semi-automated mapping techniques to accurately and rapidly ex...

The Irish–Scottish margin is geologically and oceanographically heterogeneous. Source waters of subpolar and subtropical origin interact with banks, seamounts, submarine canyon systems, escarpments, and mound provinces resulting in rich and diverse benthic communities that are influenced by local and regional hydrodynamics (e.g., internal waves, ti...

In this study we applied for the first time Fully Convolutional Neural Networks (FCNNs) to a marine bathymetric dataset to derive morphological classes over the entire Irish continental shelf. FCNNs are a set of algorithms within Deep Learning that produce pixel-wise classifications in order to create semantically segmented maps. While they have be...

Ocean biodiversity loss is being driven by several anthropogenic threats and significant efforts are required to halt losses and promote healthy marine ecosystems. The establishment of a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can help restrict damaging activities and have been recognised as a potential solution to aid marine conservation. When ma...

Lithic sedimentary benthic habitats are often organised by the overlying hydrodynamic regime, generating seabed sedimentary bedforms (SSBs) whose morphology and sediment composition are controlled by the current flow properties including speed, direction, and duration. Furthermore, SSBs can manifest at a variety of spatial scales reflecting differe...

The renewable energy transition is a priority for many researchers, policy makers, and political leaders because it is projected to stop the dependence of economic growth on increasing fossil fuel use and thus curtail climate change. This study examines how expert judgments affect development decisions to enable the renewable energy transition. Geo...

Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry is a time and cost-effective method for high-resolution 3D mapping of cold-water corals (CWC) reefs and deep-water environments. The accurate classification and analysis of marine habitats in 3D provide valuable information for the development of management strategies for large areas at various spatial and...

Within the Porcupine Bank Canyon (NE Atlantic), cold-water coral (CWC) mounds are mostly found clustered along the canyon lip, with individual disconnected mounds occurring nearby on the western Porcupine Bank. Remotely operated vehicle-mounted vibrocoring was utilized to acquire cores from both of these sites. This study is the first to employ thi...

Cold-water coral (CWC) reefs are considered “hotspots” of biodiversity in deep-sea environments. Like tropical coral reefs, these habitats are subject to climate and anthropogenic threats. The use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVSs) in combination with three-dimensional (3D) modelling and augmented reality (AR) has enabled detailed visualisation...

Seabed sedimentary bedforms (SSBs) are strong indicators of current flow (direction and velocity) and can be mapped in high resolution using multibeam echosounders. Many approaches have been designed to automate the classification of such SSBs imaged in multibeam echosounder data. However, these classification systems only apply a geomorphological...

We examine the phylogeny of sea pens using sequences of whole mitochondrial genomes and the nuclear ribosomal cluster generated through low coverage Illumina sequencing. Taxon sampling includes 30 species in 19 genera representing 13 families. Ancestral state reconstruction shows that most sea pen mitochondrial genomes have the ancestral gene order...

The Celtic Sea, situated off the south coast of Ireland is characterised by a gently southwest-sloping palaeo-glaciated seabed superimposed by a network of Holocene bedforms. During the Last Glacial Maximum (~27 ka BP) the region was occupied by the Irish Sea Ice Stream, which has left an intricate pattern of subglacial meltwater channels and morai...

Cold-water corals (CWCs) have come under threat from anthropogenic activities such as fishing despite their ecological significance as biodiversity hotspots and as such are being protected in Europe under the EU Habitats Directive with some designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). This study maps the distribution and sources of marine li...

Summary of our latest results on the geological mapping of the Northern Irish Sea, within the framework of the I-MORE project, with display of seismic surface mapping and newly evidenced buried geofeatures. This poster has been presented during the iGEO Irish Geosciences Early Career Symposium at Cork, Ireland, on the 10th of June 2022.

The Irish continental margin hosts many complex sedimentary basins, and diverse geomorphological domains displaying bedrock outcrops that can host a large variety of habitats from shallow to cryptic fauna. More recent surveying in the Irish offshore territory has indicated extensive areas of bedrock exposure. The BeTar_Drill2 (Bedrock Target analys...

Monitoring of cold-water corals (CWCs) for pathogens and diseases is limited due to the environment, protected nature of the corals and their habitat and as well as the challenging and sampling effort required. It is recognised that environmental factors such as temperature and pH can expedite the ability of pathogens to cause diseases in cold-wate...

Short presentation of our latest results about subseabed exploration in the North-western Irish Sea based on seismic data. Characterization and interpretation of buried features related to glacial and late glacial processes.

This poster introduces the upcoming ABC Celtic Sea project, which will investigate geomorphological features in the Celtic Sea and associated benthic habitats

Extensive research has been undertaken to elucidate the glacial history of the British Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) in the NE Atlantic. BRITICE-CHRONO has compiled terrestrial and marine based evidence, to provide an empirical reconstruction of ice sheet expansion and retreat during the Late Pleistocene. Across the Irish margin, particular focus has been...

National mapping programs (e.g., INFOMAR and MAREANO) and global efforts (Seabed 2030) acquire large volumes of multibeam echosounder data to map large areas of the seafloor. Developing an objective, automated and repeatable approach to extract meaningful information from such vast quantities of data is now essential. Many automated or semi-automat...

Temperature and pH can expedite the ability of pathogens to cause diseases in cold-water corals (CWCs). The present study employed a combination of histology and polymerase chain reaction diagnostic techniques to investigate potential pathogens present in the CWCs Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata in the Porcupine Bank Canyon (PBC), NE Atlanti...

The “Little MonSta” benthic lander array consists of 8 ROV-deployable (remotely operated vehicle) instrumented lander platforms for monitoring physical and chemical oceanographic properties and particle sampling developed as part of the MMMonKey_Pro program (mapping, modeling, and monitoring key processes and controls in cold-water coral habitats i...

Benthic fauna form spatial patterns which are the result of both biotic and abiotic processes, which can be quantified with a range of landscape ecology descriptors. Fine- to medium-scale spatial patterns (<1–10 m) have seldom been quantified in deep-sea habitats, but can provide fundamental ecological insights into species’ niches and interactions...

Cold-water coral (CWC) reefs are complex structural habitats that are considered biodiversity “hotspots” in deep-sea environments and are subject to several climate and anthropogenic threats. As three-dimensional structural habitats, there is a need for robust and accessible technologies to enable more accurate reef assessments. Photogrammetry deri...

In the Porcupine Bank Canyon, Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata are the main framework-forming corals producing three dimensional structures which provide a home for a range of benthic fauna and microbial communities. To understand the roles and functions that microbes perform in coral health in the Porcupine Bank Canyon, three groups of sampl...

Cold-water coral (CWC) habitats are considered important centers of biodiversity in the deep sea, acting as spawning grounds and feeding area for many fish and invertebrates. Given their occurrence in remote parts of the planet, research on CWC habitats has largely been derived from remotely-sensed marine spatial data. However, with ever-developing...

Abstract Strong currents are a key component of benthic habitats by supplying food and nutrients to filter-feeding organisms such as cold-water corals. Although field measurements show that cold-water coral habitats exist in areas of elevated bottom currents, flume studies show that cold-water corals feed more effectively at lower flow speeds. This...

Climate change has driven the European Union to propose a reduction in carbon emissions by increasing renewable energy production. Although Ireland is rich in renewable energy, especially offshore wind resources, it is failing to reduce its annual carbon emissions. This study endeavours to improve Ireland's marine spatial planning abilities and off...

Submarine canyons support high biomass communities as they act as conduits where sediments, nutrients, and organic matter from continental shelves, or those that are carried along by slope currents, are transported into the abyssal zone. The Porcupine Bank Canyon (PBC), located on the Irish continental margin and isolated from terrigenous inputs, r...

Offshore wind energy (OWE) is offering an increasingly important contribution to low-carbon energy production to offset anthropogenic global warming due to technological advances that increase the viability of this relatively new industry. These attributes highlight the importance of research being done in this field; however, direct assessments of...

The Wicklow Trough is one of several Irish Sea bathymetric deeps, yet unusually isolated from the main depression, the Western Trough. Its formation has been described as proglacial or subglacial, linked to the Irish Sea Ice Stream (ISIS) during the Last Glacial Maximum. The evolution of the Wicklow Trough and neighbouring deeps, therefore, help us...

Black corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) are an ecologically and culturally important group of deep-sea cnidarians. However, as the majority of species inhabit depths >50 m, they are relatively understudied. The inaccessibility of well-preserved tissue for species of interest has limited the scope of molecular analysis, and as a result only a small nu...

Palaeoenvironmental change following deglaciation of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet on the continental shelf west of Ireland was investigated using multiproxy analyses of sediment and foraminifera data from nine sediment cores. Lithofacies associations record various depositional regimes across the shelf, which evolve from subglacial to postglaci...

High‐resolution seismic and bathymetric data offshore southeast Ireland and LIDaR data in County Waterford are presented that partially overlap previous studies. The observed Quaternary stratigraphic succession offshore southeast Ireland (between Dungarvan and Kilmore Quay) records a sequence of depositional and erosional events that supports regio...

We present the first documented complete mitogenomes of deep-sea Pennatulacea, representing nine genera and eight families. These include one species each of the deep-sea genera Funiculina, Halipteris, Protoptilum and Distichoptilum, four species each of Umbellula and Pennatula, three species of Kophobelemnon and two species of Anthoptilum, as well...

I mound a coralli profondi, costruiti da sclerattinari di acque fredde come Lophelia pertusa e Madrepora oculata, sono diffusi lungo tutta la piattaforma della Scandinavia e nei fiordi, aree completamente ricoperte dai ghiacci durante l’ultimo massimo glaciale tra 22 e 18 ka BP. Il ritiro dei ghiacci ha rapidamente liberato la maggior parte della p...

A new geotechno-stratigraphic model for Quaternary deposits in the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt area is presented. This area, located in the North Irish Sea, has been heavily influenced by the advance and retreat of the British and Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation and subsequent Holocene marine transgression. This study uses a synthesis of...

Scleractinian cold-water corals (CWCs), such as Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata, build complex frameworks and carbonate mound habitats in the deep-sea and are regarded as deep-sea biodiversity hotspots. However, there is a paucity of research regarding temporal change in the biological composition of these CWC habitats and analysis of this c...

Cold-water coral (CWC) mounds are biogenic, long-lived morphostructures composed primarily by scleractinian CWC’s and hemipelagic sediments that form complex deep-sea microhabitats found globally but specifically along the European-Atlantic margin. In this work, high-resolution mapping was applied to identify individual organismal distribution and...

Cold-water coral ecosystems represent unique and exceptionally diverse environments in the deep-sea. They are well developed along the Irish margin, varying broadly in shape and size. The Moira Mounds, numerous small-sized mounds, are nestled in the Belgica Mound Province (Porcupine Seabight, North-East Atlantic). The investigation of living (Rose...

Currents play a vital role in sustaining and developing deep water benthic habitats by mobilising food and nutrients to otherwise relatively barren parts of the seabed. Where sediment supply is significant, it can have a major influence on the development and morphology of these habitats. This study examines a segment of the Belgica Mound Province,...

Student poster presented at the 61st Irish Geological Research Meeting (IGRM) 2018. High resolution shallow seismics, grain size distribution mapping, seismic stratigraphy and sand thickness maps. This work received 3rd place and honourary mention for *Best Student Poster*.

This poster is an introduction to the MMMonKey_Pro programme.

This poster was presented in conjunction with Tóth et al. (2017: same conference), describing a system of tunnel valleys and deeps in the southern Irish Sea.

Deeps and valleys in the western Irish Sea such as the Lambay Deep, Codling Deep and Wicklow Trough, are believed to be part of a complex, linked valley system. During the last glaciation, the Irish Sea Basin was occupied by the Irish Sea Ice Stream. Interpretation of shallow seismic data by Whittington (1977) concluded that a till sheet blankets t...

Cold-water coral (CWC) habitats are commonly regarded as hotspots of biodiversity in the deep-sea. However, a standardised approach to monitoring the effects of climate change, anthropogenic impact and natural variability through video-surveying on these habitats is poorly-established. This study is the first attempt at standardising a cost-effecti...

Using extensive data sets from three separate areas in the German North Sea sector, consisting of seismic grids, cores and in-situ cone penetration tests (CPT), we have established a revised stratigraphical framework for the mid to late Quaternary deposits of the German North Sea sector. This framework consists of four regional unconformities and 1...

A few high resolution seismic profiles (brute stacks) collected on CV17013 in the northern Celtic Sea and the Irish sector of the Irish Sea

The Mud Belt in the western half of the Irish Sea is located at the northern termination of a transport path, largely marked by sand-wave migration, which has its origins further south. Here, deposition is the dominant process under a low energy regime over an extensive area. It is only one of two such depositional settings in the Irish Sea. A synt...

New evidence is presented supporting a reappraisal of the glacial history of south-east Ireland favouring a southerly flowing ice mass extending beyond the present coastline onto the Irish continental shelf in the Celtic Sea during the last glaciation. The Celtic Sea was not only glaciated, but likely experienced ice-marginal oscillations and multi...

Since the completion of the Arklow Bank windfarm in 2004, the offshore renewable energy sector in Ireland has stagnated. The publication of the Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan by the Irish government in 2014 offered significant stimulus to re-invigorate this sector. The currently consented, and under consideration, offshore windfarm (OWF...

Pressure on deep-sea ecosystems continues to increase as anthropogenic activities move into ever deeper waters. To mitigate impacts on vulnerable habitats, various conservation measures exist, such as the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). So far, however, little evidence is available about their effectiveness. This paper presents a uniq...

The last British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) had extensive marine-terminating margins and was drained by multiple large ice streams and is thus a useful analogue for marine-based areas of modern ice sheets. However, despite recent advances from investigating the offshore record of the BIIS, the dynamic history of its marine margins, which would have bee...

Geological, biological, morphological, and hydrochemical data are presented for the newly discovered Moytirra vent field at 45oN. This is the only high temperature hydrothermal vent known between the Azores and Iceland, in the North Atlantic and is located on a slow to ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridge uniquely situated on the 300 m high fault sc...

The Mud Belt in the north-western sector of the Irish Sea is located at the northern termination of a transport pathway, largely dominated by sand-waves migrating from south. In the Mud Belt, deposition is the dominant process under a low energy regime and, as such, it is a key Irish Sea depocentre consisting of predominately Holocene muds and silt...

Through the interplay of a stabilising cold-water coral framework and a dynamic sedimentary environment, cold-water coral carbonate mounds create distinctive centres of bio-geological accumulation in often complex (continental margin) settings. The IODP Expedition 307 drilling of the Challenger Mound (eastern Porcupine Seabight; NE Atlantic) not on...

The viscosity of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) as a function of halogen content was determined in the high viscosity range (109-1012 Pa s) using the micropenetration technique. In this study we show that, in the presence of iron, the addition of chlorine reduces the viscosity of a metaluminous melt (basalt); and that the addition of chlorine increa...

The observation and prediction of the mobility of the seabed are in high demand with rapidly expanding offshore engineering developments and the increasing urgency to start mitigation against changing coastlines. From repeatedly surveyed sediment wave fields in the Irish Sea, average sediment wave migrations have been mapped, from which broad-scale...

This chapter discusses the benthic deep-seaa carbonates with reference to reefs and seeps. Extensive accumulations of deep-water carbonates across the global seafloor are dependent on pelagic carbonate productivity in the surfacial ocean waters. When the organisms die, their tests sink down to the seafloor, where they accumulate as calcareous oozes...

The late Pliocene - early Pleistocene onset and intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation marks an important threshold in Earth's climate system. Unravelling the extent and dynamics of early ice-sheet development is crucial to our understanding of the processes driving Quaternary glaciations and hence, affecting global climate and its varia...

The Irish Sea is a shallow, formerly glaciated, continental shelf consisting of a series of deeps in the south which presently experience high energy regimes to relatively benign mudbelts in the north. As such, the area has been recognized as having the potential to develop a number of sites for offshore renewable energy installations in both the w...

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the Moira Mounds in the Porcupine Seabight, combining a review of currently published material with new data and interpretations. The Moira Mounds are circular to ovoid-shaped individual or clustered coral banks (referred to as “scleractinian spaced cluster macroreefs”) located in the Belgica (carbona...

Large cold-water coral carbonate mounds are well-known from several locations along the north-east Atlantic continental margin. With these mound structures, which can measure up to 350m in height, often smaller mounds are found in the same hydrodynamic settings. This paper illustrates the importance of local sediment dynamics on the morphology and...

The Plio-Pleistocene intensification of Northern Hemisphere continental ice-sheet development is known to have profoundly affected the global climate system. Evidence for early continental glaciation is preserved in sediments throughout the North Atlantic Ocean, where ice-rafted detritus (IRD) layers attest to the calving of sediment-loaded iceberg...

Submarine canyons are the most prominent morphological features on the Irish seabed. They are tens to hundreds of kilometres long, narrow valleys carved tens to several hundreds of metres deep into the continental margin. They often extend from the shelf break at 200 m water depth all the way down to the lower continental rise at approximately 2,50...

Iceberg ploughmarks are caused by icebergs that ground on the seafloor. Today, icebergs are very rare in Irish waters. This, however, was not always the case. During past glacials (e.g. 20,000 years ago) numerous icebergs reached Ireland’s shores leaving their marks on the seabed (Fig. 11.1). Typically, icebergs are moved either by ocean currents o...

The Porcupine Seabight and the underlying Porcupine Basin developed as a failed rift structure when the Atlantic Ocean first started to open 250 million years ago. It is bordered by the Slyne Ridge in the north, the Porcupine Bank in the west and the Goban Spur in the south. The Porcupine Seabight opens to the southwest onto the Porcupine Abyssal P...

The Porcupine Bank is a block of continental crust that became separated from the rest of the European continent by a failed rift during the opening phase of the North Atlantic, which began about 250 million years ago. The Porcupine Bank separates the Porcupine Seabight from the Rockall Trough. In the northeast, the Porcupine Bank is still connecte...

Seamounts are distinct, elevated, geological seabed features, often of volcanic origin. They are at least 1,000 m tall but do not reach the sea surface (Fig. 8.1). The majority of seamounts are conically shaped when young but due to erosion become more irregularly shaped over time with circular to elliptic elongated bases and often flat summit area...