marum - MSc Benedict Preu

Name:		MSc Benedict Preu
Department:		Marine Technologies/Environmental Research
Job:		PhD Student
Phone:		+49 421 218 - 65376
Fax:		+49 421 218 - 65399
E-Mail:

PhD Project

The overall goal of this thesis is the processing and interpretation of the available seismo-acoustic data sets from the R/V Meteor Cruises M78/3a+b (2009) and M49/2 (2001). This includes high-resolution multichannel seismic data, sediment echosounder (Parasound) data and multibeam bathymetry data. In the frame of MARUM Project SD3 (“Slope architecture and evolution of sedimentary regimes”) the interpretation will be done close to results from sedimentology, geotechnics and geochemistry. In this context the first goal of this study will be mapping and analyzing of the contourite deposition system in the north of Argentina. Mapping of depocentre shifts and areas of deposition and non-deposition in time and space within in the drift accumulations will allow gaining a better understanding of Antarctic water masses and the North Atlantic Deep Water.
The second goal of this study will be a morphological and structural analysis of the Mar de Plata canyon. To gain information about the so far unknown origin and development of this canyon, which is located directly in the confluence zone of Brazil and Malvinas currents, and its interaction with the surrounding current regime is of special paleoceanographic interest.
The last goal of this PhD thesis will be a comparison between the contourite deposition system in the north of Argentina and other comparable systems in boundary settings (e.g. SE Africa).

Cruises

04/2011 - 05/2011 R/V Maria S. Merian MSM18/1 (NW Africa)
Project: Physical and biochemical studies in the subtropic and tropic Atlantic

05/2009 – 07/2009 R/V Meteor cruise M78/3a+b (South America)
Project: Sediment transport off Uruguay and Argentina

03/2008 R/V Meteor cruise M75/3 (South Africa)
Project: Western Indian Ocean Climate and Sedimentation (WINOCS)

10/2007 R/V Meteor cruise M74/2 (Makran)
Project: Nitrogen Cycle, Cold Seeps, Carbonate Platform Development in the northwestern Indian Ocean

04/2007 R/V Meteor cruise M72/3b (Black Sea)
Project: Methane and methane hydrates within the Black Sea: Structural analyses, quantification and impact of a dynamic methane reservoir (METRO)

Publications & Presentations

Poster Presentations:

Preu, B., Schwenk, T., Hernández Molina, F.J., Hanebuth, T., Violante, R., Paterlini, C.M., Strasser, M.,Krastel-Gudegast, S. and Spiess, V. (2011), Contourites as source and sink on continental margins – a case study off Argentina and Uruguay. AGU Chapman conference on Source to Sink Systems around the World and Through Time, Oxnard (California), USA

Spiess, V., Preu, B., Wenau, S., Schwenk, T., Palamenghi, L. and Schneider, R. (2011), The partial decoupling of source and sink in the current-controlled sediment dispersal systems on the East African and Northern Madagascar continental margin. AGU Chapman conference on Source to Sink Systems around the World and Through Time, Oxnard (California), USA

Preu, B., Spiess, V., Schwenk, T. and Schneider, R. (2010), Reconstruction of the onset and development of the Agulhas Current from contourite deposits in front of Limpopo River, Mozambique margin. Deep-water circulation: Processes & Products - international congress, Baiona (Pontevedra), Spain

Violante, R., Hernández Molina, F.J., Paterlini, C.M., Bozzano, G., Krastel, S., Hanebuth, T., Preu, B. and Laprida, C. (2010), Contouritic Terraces on the Northern Argentina middle continental slope (southwestern Atlantic). Deep-water circulation: Processes & Products - international congress, Baiona (Pontevedra), Spain

Spiess, V., Preu, B., Wenau, S., Palamenghi, L., Schwenk, T. and Schneider, R. (2010), Current Controlled Sedimentation Dominates Wide Areas of the South East African Continental Margin off Mozambique and Madagascar – Preliminary Results of a Multichannel Seismic Survey. Deep-water circulation: Processes & Products - international congress, Baiona (Pontevedra), Spain

Huppertz, T., Hanebuth, T., Henrich, R., Preu, B., Schwenk, T. and Strasser, M. (2010), A contourite system offshore the Rio de la Plata estuary, Argentina. Deep-water circulation: Processes & Products - international congress, Baiona (Pontevedra), Spain

Schwenk, T., Preu, B., Krastel, S., Fekete, N., Meyer, M., Lindhorst, K., Anasetti, A., Domnina, Y. (2009), Interaction of along-slope and down-slope sedimentation processes on the Argentina/Uruguayan slope - First seismo-acoustic results from the Meteor cruise M78/3, Eos Trans. AGU, 90(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS21A-1151

Spiess, V., Preu, B., Schwenk, T., Palamenghi, L., Schneider, R., Hall, I. and Zahn,, R. (2009), Drilling in Current-Controlled Sedimentary Environments on the Southeast African Margin - The SAFARI Pre-Site Survey Challenges on the Madagascar, Mozambique and the South African Margin. ICDP & IODP Colloquium, Potsdam

Preu, B., Spiess, V., Max, L., Palamenghi, L. and Schwenk, T. (2008), Alongshore Sediment Transport on the South East African Shelf and Associated Upper Slope Depocenters. AGU, San Francisco

Curriculum Vitae

Since 04/2009 PhD student at the University Bremen/MARUM
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. V. Spieß

11/2008 – 03/2009 Scientific researcher at the University Bremen/MARUM
D4: ‘Geotechnical and geophysical seabed characterisation’

2006 – 2008 Studies of Marine Geosciences (M.Sc.) at University Bremen
Focus: Marine seismics, global change, marine environmental archives
Thesis: Seismic interpretation of contourite drifts and their controlling dynamic processes in the transition from Mozambique Current to Agulhas Current in front of Limpopo River

2003-2006 Studies of Geosciences (B.Sc.) at University Bremen
Focus: Marine Geology and marine geophysics
Thesis:Regional influences on the coastal upwelling of Northwest Africa