UNIVERSITY of Newcastle marine scientists and students are among those onboard CSIRO research vessel RV Investigator for a five-week voyage to investigate the causes and consequences of submarine landslides and deep-marine canyons along Australia's eastern edge.
UON's Associate Professor Hannah Power and Dr Michael Kinsela are leading the collaborative research study with the voyage Chief Scientist, University of Sydney Associate Professor Thomas Hubble.
Eight UON undergraduate students and five University of Sydney students form part of the 32-person research crew.
Submarine landslides have occurred along the east coast for about 15 million years and are expected to reoccur, with continued potential to generate tsunamis.
The crew's research will help identify risks that locally generated submarine landslide-induced tsunami events can pose and inform strategies to mitigate risks.
