Leonardo Tamborrino

During my research stay at the University of Miami, I had the opportunity to work on part of my Ph.D. project, where I study the spatio-temporal distribution of the cold-water corals (CWC) on the Namibian Shelf. CWC are able to build up geological structures, known as “coral mounds”. Due to the large number (more than 2000) and geomorphological variability of the coral mounds off Namibia, I propose to perform morphometric analyses in order to extract quantitative information on morphological features of the coral mounds and determine possible correlation with the setting conditions (bottom current regime, mounds-underlying topography).

I performed my research stay in the Comparative Sedimentology Lab of Prof. Dr. Gregor Eberli at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (RSMAS) at the University of Miami (Florida, US). Prof. G. Eberli is a world-leading expert in comparative sedimentology in carbonate systems. Being able to join his lab for more than two months was a valuable step to build a good knowledge on sedimentological processes along continental shelves. Under Prof. Eberli supervision, a former Ph.D. Student of RSMAS developed an automated method for extracting mound features by using Petrel™ software (Schlumberger). By following this method, I was able to run morphometric analyses and to extract all the morphological information. Moreover. I had the opportunity to acquire software skills (Petrel™) highly valuable for future career opportunities The scheduling of the research stay during the period November-January provided the occasion to participate in scientific activities that enriched my research stay.

Indeed, besides having more time to discuss my work with my “hosting supervisor” (no lectures, no external collaborations), I had also the chance to join the AGU 2018 conference in Washington, DC. Working at RSMAS was also a very interesting experience by participating to the graduate students activities. I attended the weekly “Geotopic”, seminars on marine geosciences topics where I also presented the outcomes of my Ph.D. as guest scientist. Besides Geotopic, I attended the talks given by Prof. Maureen Raymo (hosted at RSMAS for her sabbatical), one of the foremost and influential figure in the field of paleoceanography and paleoclimatology. Moreover, I took part in the Robert Ginsburg Legacy Symposium, where I discovered about one of the most inspiring expert in carbonate geology, former RSMAS Prof. R. Ginsburg, from the talks of his alumni. Additionally, the research stay gave me the great opportunity to discover and ex-perience a new country.

Outside of work, I was exploring the astonishing nature of the Florida Keys and the Everglades, besides enjoying the Cuban culture around my home in Little Havana. I am very grateful for the opportunity of working on my project in the very inspi-ring environment at the group of Prof. G. Eberli. It was valuable for both - my pro-fessional as well as personal development. I am very grateful to GLOMAR for fi-nancial support, which enabled me to perform this research stay. In addition, I would like to thank Prof. G. Eberli and my supervisor Prof. D Hebbeln for giving me that opportunity.