Jenny Gales

Academic profile

Dr Jenny Gales

Associate Professor in Hydrography and Ocean Exploration
School of Biological and Marine Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)

Overview

Fingerprint

Network

Research outputs

Similar profiles

The Global Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Jenny's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

Goal 14: SDG 14 - Life Below Water

About Jenny

  • Associate Professor in Hydrography and Ocean Exploration
  • Programme Lead for BSc Ocean Exploration and Surveying
  • Deputy Programme Lead for MSc Hydrography

Research: Antarctic Continental Margin Processes and Evolution, Continental Margin Geomorphology, Process Sedimentology, Ice Sheet Change, Antarctic Climate History.

Specialities: Marine Geomorphology, Bathymetry, Marine Geophysics, Marine Geology, Glacial Processes, Marine Robotics

I am an Associate Professor in Hydrography and Ocean Exploration and am actively involved in internationally recognised research surrounding continental slope processes and seafloor geomorphology. I have been involved in numerous international research expeditions including Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. The most recent expedition was the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374 to the Ross Sea, Antarctica: https://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/expeditions/ross_sea_ice_sheet_history.html. The expedition built on data we collected previously during a EUROFLEETS-funded expedition, in collaboration with OGS, Italy. My current research is focused on understanding the causes of large submarine landslides on the Antarctic continental margin by combining core-downhole-log and seismic data, with an upcoming Antarctic expedition scheduled.

Before joining the University of Plymouth, I worked at the National Oceanography Centre on the NERC-funded 'Coordinated Canyon Experiment' in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). The project aimed to understand what triggers underwater sediment flows, how fast they move, how far they travel and what influence they have on seafloor morphology. The project involved the use of marine robotics, including Remotely Operated Vehicles, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Uncrewed Surface Vehicles to map the seafloor and to provide communication. The 18-month experiment involved an array of moorings down the axis of the canyon housing a wide range of instruments, and a variety of novel 'smart sensors' to collect seafloor data. I have been involved in numerous research projects involving remotely operated and autonomous instruments for seafloor exploration, including expeditions around the UK, Canada and the USA.

I completed my PhD at the British Antarctic Survey working to understand processes influencing the geomorphology of Antarctic continental slopes and spent two semesters at the Arctic University of Norway (University of Tromso) and Statoil ASA in Trondheim, Norway. Between 2013-2015 I worked as a Marine Geoscientist at the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh on both commercial and research projects, including reconstructing the offshore glacial history of NW Scotland from seismic data. Prior to starting my PhD, I worked as a research assistant for the Dorset Wildlife Trust and University of Southampton compiling and processing backscatter data to assess the marine habitats off the Dorset coast.

Teaching

Currently teaches:

  • OS105 Mapping the Marine Environment (Module Leader)
  • OS305 Coastal Survey 
  • OS316 Exploration for Energy and Minerals (Module Leader)
  • MAR521 Acoustic and Oceanographic Survey
Completed PhD students:
  • Maxine King - Deciphering submarine slope processes on the Ross Sea continental margin (2023)

Contact Jenny

+44 1752 584479