Significant currents that affect offshore operations and facility designs exist in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. This project is part of a JIP formed to carry out an integrated study of the seafloor furrows produced by the flow and characteristics of the flow itself. The JIP measured the extent and morphology of the furrows, the sediment properties, and assess the depositional history of the sediments using age-dating and seismic stratigraphic techniques. These results were compared to the measured current flow regime immediately above the furrows, and related it to the mechanisms of furrow formation and the climatology of deepwater currents. The resulting information will provide a basis for designing effective deepwater pipelines, risers, and templates (e.g. overbends, spans, and current loads) and a basis for estimating the effects of changes in furrow morphology and deepwater flow over the lifetime of deepwater oil field installations.
The period of performance for this cooperative agreement has expired.