SEISCAN
MAS3-CT97-0101
GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS
SEISCAN endeavours to identify seismic reflection records suitable for scanning within the European Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) beyond the continental shelf break, that is the 200m isobath. The project was never intended to restrict itself to data from EU member states or solely within EU EEZ waters. Rather, it addresses the geographic European sectors of the NE Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Norwegian-Greenland Sea.
A generalised limit of the European EEZ is shown as dashed line in figure 1. No political inferences are implied. The Azores are excluded as they are not proximal to a continental margin. To aid the identification of data sets it was pragmatic to simplify these boundaries. This limit is also shown in figure 1 as the solid line.
European ships acquiring seismic data will generally have operated out of European ports to provide margin transects even if the main survey area is beyond the EEZ. Generally SEISCAN will only capture record sections from the project area of figure 1. However, if a survey track leaves the SEISCAN area for only a short transect, then the whole cruise can be included.
It is not possible to simplify the geographic limit in the Mediterranean Sea but identification may be assisted by the assumption that European surveys generally remain in European waters.
_
