Gwyn Lintern - Marine Geoscience
Name: Gwyn Lintern
Field of Expertise: Marine Geoscience
Education: Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (geotechnical), Oxford University, United Kingdom.
Works at: Natural Resources Canada’s Geological Survey of Canada in Sidney, British Columbia
What he studies
Dr. Lintern researches sediment hazards in the marine environment. He has worked on issues on all three coasts, including submarine slope stability, dredging and port expansion, coastal erosion, and storm surge modelling. The sediment issues Dr. Lintern studies often arise in infrastructure and development projects. Sediment transport can cause damaging scour around structures (e.g. pipelines, undersea cables), coastline erosion, and infill of navigation channels. He also advises on activities such as dredging and trawling which can have damaging siltation effects.
What is the importance of his research?
Dr. Lintern is developing techniques for determining the causes of hazards such as submarine slope failures. His work could ultimately lead to detection and early warning of these damaging events which can cause tsunamis. In the Arctic, Dr. Lintern models storms and coastal erosion under conditions of present day ice, and future receded ice, to understand how future climate scenarios could affect issues such as port maintenance.
Interesting fact
Dr. Lintern is conducting research using the University of Victoria’s VENUS cabled underwater observatory, which delivers power and retrieves data from scientific instruments. This new tool allows the collection of samples at a higher rate and for longer period than techniques which use batteries and dataloggers. This is a significant improvement for research on submarine landslides, given that these events must be captured in mere seconds and only once per year. With the help of VENUS, Dr. Lintern’s instruments have indicated at least two ‘slide-like’ events on the delta.
Current research projects
Dr. Lintern leads the VENUS/Natural Resources Canada collaboration to understand the causes of slope failure on deltas, and the National Submarine Landslide Assessment Activity. Dr. Lintern also provides expertise to large infrastructure projects ranging from port expansion to renewable energy projects.
Key publications
Ayranci, K., Lintern, D.G., Hill, P.R., and Dashtgard, S.E., 2012. Tide-supported gravity flows on the upper delta front, Fraser River delta, Canada. Marine Geology, (in press).
Lintern, D.G., Jakes, H., Macdonald, R., Grant, J., 2012. Beaufort Sea storm and resuspension modeling, Journal of Marine Systems, (in press).
Lintern, D.G., and Hill, P.R., 2010. An Underwater Laboratory at the Fraser River Delta. Eos Transactions American Geophysical Union, vol. 91, no 38, p. 333.
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