The National Academies' Gulf Research Program has awarded projects that research the combination of natural processes and human decisions that are affecting the ecosystems of the Gulf Coast region, and translate their research into actionable tools and information.
A team of three UM researchers -- Zhiqu Lu (National Center for Physical Acoustics), Likun Zhang (Department of Physics & Astronomy), and Lei Cao (Department of Electrical Engineering) -- received a grant from the Gulf Research Program to assist in the Acoustic Detection for Undersea Oil Leaks Project, their research focused on utilizing acoustic technologies to develop a functional real-time monitoring system that can find leaks in deep-water oil and gas production in the Gulf over a large area while still being cost-effective. Early detection and location of leaks could minimize their impact. Current monitoring techniques are limited, including being unable to monitor in real time.
The project had a companion website on the University's server from 2020-2025. Its original files are available for download, but its content has been recreated as accessible PDFs below.
2026
Website: Home, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
Website: Latest Results, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
Website: News and Events, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
2020
1. Test Data, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
2. Modeling, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
3. Localization, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
4. Metadata Files, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
5. Programs and Algorithms, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
6. Supplemental Materials, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao
7. Movie Files, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, and Lei Cao