Converting seismic reflection sections into oceanic temperature and salinity: a new approach
Converting seismic reflection sections into oceanic temperature and salinity: a new approach
Oceanic submesoscale dynamics are associated with horizontal scales between tens of meters and tens of kilometers and time scales of hours to weeks. Through impacting the transfer of energy and other fundamental ocean properties such as heat, salt, carbon, and nutrients, submesoscale processes are believed to play an important role in the climate system and marine biosphere. However, direct observations of these processes, especially in the ocean interior, remain limited due to their transient nature. Marine seismic reflection surveys offer a solution, resolving thermohaline structures on scales on the order of 10 m vertically and 100 m horizontally and capturing 100-km swathes in hours. While seismic data provide vertical temperature/salinity gradients, legacy datasets are often hindered by sparse hydrographic validation and uncertain inversions. Here, we present an improved inversion method combining root-mean-square sound velocity analysis and iterative Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques to extract thermohaline fields with quantified uncertainties. The method is validated using Gulf of Cadiz seismic data with coincident hydrographic measurements and applied to a new Mozambique Channel dataset capturing mesoscale and submesoscale activities. Uncertainties for inverted temperature and salinity are 2.58C (1.658C) and 0.5 psu (0.08 psu) in the Gulf of Cadiz (Mozambique Channel), with Dix-equationderived velocity conversion identified as the primary error source. This novel approach expands the use of legacy seismic reflection data as a tool for ocean fine scale to submesoscale analyses and will aid new, global insights into previously difficult-to-observe ocean dynamics.
Acoustic measurements/effects, Eddies, Inverse methods, Ocean
1505-1527
Meng, Yao
533c4983-938b-4c72-97b7-3b9848eb779d
Sheen, Katy L.
2f10528e-d850-4a20-8685-5315605dd0cc
Gunn, Kathryn L.
5952c101-ecf3-4b62-b817-86007cdc8ce4
Ménesguen, Claire
d9f66cb4-3557-4caf-b97c-c68d96b17b2c
Ehmen, Tobias
7fc94be6-3f08-4764-bba7-6665fa1f8d16
Ashton, Ian G.C.
ef0d8dc3-5a6c-4c03-a7c0-8f496ca2840b
Meng, Yao
533c4983-938b-4c72-97b7-3b9848eb779d
Sheen, Katy L.
2f10528e-d850-4a20-8685-5315605dd0cc
Gunn, Kathryn L.
5952c101-ecf3-4b62-b817-86007cdc8ce4
Ménesguen, Claire
d9f66cb4-3557-4caf-b97c-c68d96b17b2c
Ehmen, Tobias
7fc94be6-3f08-4764-bba7-6665fa1f8d16
Ashton, Ian G.C.
ef0d8dc3-5a6c-4c03-a7c0-8f496ca2840b
Meng, Yao, Sheen, Katy L., Gunn, Kathryn L., Ménesguen, Claire, Ehmen, Tobias and Ashton, Ian G.C.
(2025)
Converting seismic reflection sections into oceanic temperature and salinity: a new approach.
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 42 (11), .
(doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-25-0019.1).
Abstract
Oceanic submesoscale dynamics are associated with horizontal scales between tens of meters and tens of kilometers and time scales of hours to weeks. Through impacting the transfer of energy and other fundamental ocean properties such as heat, salt, carbon, and nutrients, submesoscale processes are believed to play an important role in the climate system and marine biosphere. However, direct observations of these processes, especially in the ocean interior, remain limited due to their transient nature. Marine seismic reflection surveys offer a solution, resolving thermohaline structures on scales on the order of 10 m vertically and 100 m horizontally and capturing 100-km swathes in hours. While seismic data provide vertical temperature/salinity gradients, legacy datasets are often hindered by sparse hydrographic validation and uncertain inversions. Here, we present an improved inversion method combining root-mean-square sound velocity analysis and iterative Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques to extract thermohaline fields with quantified uncertainties. The method is validated using Gulf of Cadiz seismic data with coincident hydrographic measurements and applied to a new Mozambique Channel dataset capturing mesoscale and submesoscale activities. Uncertainties for inverted temperature and salinity are 2.58C (1.658C) and 0.5 psu (0.08 psu) in the Gulf of Cadiz (Mozambique Channel), with Dix-equationderived velocity conversion identified as the primary error source. This novel approach expands the use of legacy seismic reflection data as a tool for ocean fine scale to submesoscale analyses and will aid new, global insights into previously difficult-to-observe ocean dynamics.
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Converting_Seismic_Reflection_Sections_into_Oceanic_Temperature_and_Salinity__A_New_Approach_Peer_review_version_compressed
- Accepted Manuscript
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atot-JTECH-D-25-0019.1
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 30 August 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 10 November 2025
Keywords:
Acoustic measurements/effects, Eddies, Inverse methods, Ocean
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 508623
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/508623
ISSN: 0739-0572
PURE UUID: 8472d347-5a77-485e-a595-251f86afea94
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Date deposited: 28 Jan 2026 17:48
Last modified: 31 Jan 2026 08:17
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Contributors
Author:
Yao Meng
Author:
Katy L. Sheen
Author:
Kathryn L. Gunn
Author:
Claire Ménesguen
Author:
Tobias Ehmen
Author:
Ian G.C. Ashton
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