Research Profile

Aaron Lim

Biography

Dr Aaron Lim is a Lecturer in Coastal Geomorphology at University College Cork. He holds a PhD in Marine Geosciences and his research interests seabed habitat mapping, development of novel seabed mapping and monitoring methods and contemporary seabed processes. Since 2017, Dr Lim has won >€3M in research grants (SFI, Marine Institute, H2020, PIP and IRC) and published 24 peer-reviewed research articles with a H-index of 11. He has won the Presidents Award for Research into Innovative form of Teaching, the Gold Medal Delap prize with 2 articles selected as Editors choice Nature Science Reports (‘Top 100 in Earth Science’ and ‘Editors Choice for Coral Reefs’). He has 2 years of senior scientific management experience in the offshore survey/renewable industry and was previously a member of the EuroFleets+ Scientific Advisory Committee. He has participated in over 15 research cruises (chief scientist on four) ranging from the Mid-Atlantic, North Atlantic, Celtic Sea and Irish Sea. He is an editorial board member for Frontiers in Marine Science and has supervised 7 research students and several at undergraduate level.

Research Interests

  • Development of novel marine and coastal mapping and monitoring methods
  • Development and novel application of marine geomatics, imaging and spatial analyses (typically applied to multibeam, photogrammetry, acoustic backscatter (side scan sonar and multibeam snippets), magnetometry, ROV and AUV operations, sub-bottom profiler, point clouds) 
  • Understanding active and recent seabed processes
  • Mapping cold water coral habitats in space and time
  • Development of effective and environmentally-friendly offshore survey design

Research Grants

 ProjectFunding
Body
Start DateEnd DateAward
Seagrass mapping to assess natural stocks of blue carbon (SEAMANS_Carbon).Marine Institute (MI)01-MAY-2330-APR-26€313,932.00
Novel high-resolution spatio-temporal monitoring of cold water coral reefs over 9 yearsEnterprise Ireland14-DEC-2214-DEC-23€15,896.00
Towards inclusive, open access, virtual reality geoscience fieldtrips for teaching and research enhancementNational Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education06-MAR-2331-DEC-23€25,493.00
Systematic monitoring survey of the Moira Mound chainMarine Institute01-JUL-2001-JUN-21€350,000.00
Monitoring Changes in Submarine Canyon Coral HabitatsMarine Institute13-MAY-1931-JUL-19€500,000.00
Flexible Marine Environmental MonitoringMarine Institute01-NOV-1730-OCT-18€178,980.00
Pipco RSGIndustry01-OCT-1931-DEC-23€194,621.00
Controls on Cold water coral habitat developmentMarine Institute01-JUN-1814-JUN-18€250,000.00
Integrated assessment of Atlantic Marine Ecosystems in Space and TimeHorizon 202018-JUN-19€97,800.00
Monitoring Microplastics and their Associated Chemicals and their effects in Irish Deep Water Coral Habitats. (Plast_Chem_Dora)Marine Institute01-JUN-22€284,397.00
Novel Mapping of the INFOMAR data setMarine Institute01-JUN-20€349,109.00
Mapping, Monitoring and Modelling Key Processes and Controls andScience Foundation Ireland01-NOV-17€869,099.00

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2022)'High-resolution 3D mapping of cold-water coral reefs using machine learning'
de Oliveira, LMC;Lim, A;Conti, LA;Wheeler, AJ (2022) 'High-resolution 3D mapping of cold-water coral reefs using machine learning'. Frontiers In Environmental Science, 10 [DOI] [Details]
(2022)'A Characterisation of Benthic Currents from Seabed Bathymetry: An Object-Based Image Analysis of Cold-Water Coral Mounds'
Summers, Gerard and Lim, Aaron and Wheeler, Andrew J. (2022) 'A Characterisation of Benthic Currents from Seabed Bathymetry: An Object-Based Image Analysis of Cold-Water Coral Mounds'. Remote Sensing, 14 (19)   [DOI] [Details]
(2022)'Environmental forcing by submarine canyons: Evidence between two closely situated cold-water coral mounds (Porcupine Bank Canyon and Western Porcupine Bank, NE Atlantic)'
O'Reilly L.;Fentimen R.;Butschek F.;Titschack J.;Lim A.;Moore N.;O'Connor O.J.;Appah J.;Harris K.;Vennemann T.;Wheeler A.J. (2022) 'Environmental forcing by submarine canyons: Evidence between two closely situated cold-water coral mounds (Porcupine Bank Canyon and Western Porcupine Bank, NE Atlantic)'. Marine Geology, 454 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
(2022)'Developing Mobile Applications with Augmented Reality and 3D Photogrammetry for Visualisation of Cold-Water Coral Reefs and Deep-Water Habitats'
de Oliveira, Larissa Macedo Cruz and Oliveira, Priscila Almeida de and Lim, Aaron and Wheeler, Andrew J. and Conti, Luis Americo (2022) 'Developing Mobile Applications with Augmented Reality and 3D Photogrammetry for Visualisation of Cold-Water Coral Reefs and Deep-Water Habitats'. Geosciences, 12 (10)   [DOI] [Details]
(2022)'Accumulation of marine litter in cold-water coral habitats: A comparative study of two Irish Special Areas of Conservation, NE Atlantic'
Appah JKM;Killeen O;Lim A;O'Riordan R;O'Reilly L;Wheeler AJ; (2022) 'Accumulation of marine litter in cold-water coral habitats: A comparative study of two Irish Special Areas of Conservation, NE Atlantic'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 180 [DOI] [Details]
(2022)'A health survey of the reef forming scleractinian cold-water corals Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata in a remote submarine canyon on the European continental margin, NE Atlantic'
Appah JKM;Lynch SA;Lim A;O' Riordan R;O'Reilly L;de Oliveira L;Wheeler AJ; (2022) 'A health survey of the reef forming scleractinian cold-water corals Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata in a remote submarine canyon on the European continental margin, NE Atlantic'. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 192 [DOI] [Details]
(2022)'Using novel methods to track British and Irish Ice Sheet dynamics since the Late Pleistocene, along the west Porcupine Bank, NE Atlantic'
Luke O.R.;Aaron L.;Jürgen T.;Niamh M.;O'Connor O.J.;John A.;Fentimen R.;Butschek F.;Kimberley H.;Torsten V.;Wheeler A.J. (2022) 'Using novel methods to track British and Irish Ice Sheet dynamics since the Late Pleistocene, along the west Porcupine Bank, NE Atlantic'. Quaternary Science Reviews, 284 [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
(2021)'Cold-Water Coral Habitat Mapping: Trends and Developments in Acquisition and Processing Methods'
Lim, A;Wheeler, AJ;Conti, L (2021) 'Cold-Water Coral Habitat Mapping: Trends and Developments in Acquisition and Processing Methods'. Geosciences, 11 [DOI] [Details]
(2021)'3D Classification of Cold-Water Coral Reefs: A Comparison of Classification Techniques for 3D Reconstructions of Cold-Water Coral Reefs and Seabed'
de Oliveira, LMC;Lim, A;Conti, LA;Wheeler, AJ (2021) '3D Classification of Cold-Water Coral Reefs: A Comparison of Classification Techniques for 3D Reconstructions of Cold-Water Coral Reefs and Seabed'. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8 [DOI] [Details]
(2021)'The "Little MonSta" Deep-Sea Benthic, Precision Deployable, Multi-Sensor and Sampling Lander Array'
Wheeler, AJ;Lim, A;Butschek, F;O'Reilly, L;Harris, K;O'Driscoll, P (2021) 'The "Little MonSta" Deep-Sea Benthic, Precision Deployable, Multi-Sensor and Sampling Lander Array'. Sensors, 21 [DOI] [Details]
(2021)'A Scalable, Supervised Classification of Seabed Sediment Waves Using an Object-Based Image Analysis Approach'
Summers, G;Lim, A;Wheeler, AJ (2021) 'A Scalable, Supervised Classification of Seabed Sediment Waves Using an Object-Based Image Analysis Approach'. Remote Sensing, 13 [DOI] [Details]
(2021)'Fine-Scale Heterogeneity of a Cold-Water Coral Reef and Its Influence on the Distribution of Associated Taxa'
Price, DM;Lim, A;Callaway, A;Eichhorn, MP;Wheeler, AJ;Lo Iacono, C;Huvenne, VAI (2021) 'Fine-Scale Heterogeneity of a Cold-Water Coral Reef and Its Influence on the Distribution of Associated Taxa'. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8 [DOI] [Details]
(2020)'Impact of bottom water currents on benthic foraminiferal assemblages in a cold-water coral environment: The Moira Mounds (NE Atlantic)'
Fentimen R.;Lim A.;Rüggeberg A.;Wheeler A.;Van Rooij D.;Foubert A. (2020) 'Impact of bottom water currents on benthic foraminiferal assemblages in a cold-water coral environment: The Moira Mounds (NE Atlantic)'. Marine Micropaleontology, 154 [DOI] [Details]
(2020)'Influence of benthic currents on cold-water coral habitats: a combined benthic monitoring and 3D photogrammetric investigation'
Lim, A;Wheeler, AJ;Price, DM;O'Reilly, L;Harris, K;Conti, L (2020) 'Influence of benthic currents on cold-water coral habitats: a combined benthic monitoring and 3D photogrammetric investigation'. Scientific Reports, 10 [DOI] [Details]
(2020)'Are Non-reef Habitats as Important to Benthic Diversity and Composition as Coral Reef and Rubble Habitats in Submarine Canyons? Analysis of Controls on Benthic Megafauna Distribution in the Porcupine Bank Canyon, NE Atlantic'
Appah, JKM;Lim, A;Harris, K;O'Riordan, R;O'Reilly, L;Wheeler, AJ (2020) 'Are Non-reef Habitats as Important to Benthic Diversity and Composition as Coral Reef and Rubble Habitats in Submarine Canyons? Analysis of Controls on Benthic Megafauna Distribution in the Porcupine Bank Canyon, NE Atlantic'. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7 [DOI] [Details]
(2020)'Geomorphological and seismostratigraphic evidence for multidirectional polyphase glaciation of the northern Celtic Sea'
Toth, Z;Mccarron, S;Wheeler, AJ;Wenau, S;Davis, S;Lim, A;Spiess, V (2020) 'Geomorphological and seismostratigraphic evidence for multidirectional polyphase glaciation of the northern Celtic Sea'. Journal Of Quaternary Science, [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'Cold-water corals in decline - A temporal (4 year) species abundance and biodiversity appraisal of complete photomosaiced cold-water coral reef on the Irish Margin'
Boolukos, CM;Lim, A;O'Riordan, RM;Wheeler, AJ (2019) 'Cold-water corals in decline - A temporal (4 year) species abundance and biodiversity appraisal of complete photomosaiced cold-water coral reef on the Irish Margin'. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 146 :44-54 [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'High resolution mapping of a cold water coral mound'
Conti, LA;Lim, A;Wheeler, AJ (2019) 'High resolution mapping of a cold water coral mound'. Scientific Reports, 9 [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'Benthic foraminifera in a deep-sea high-energy environment: the Moira Mounds (Porcupine Seabight, SW of Ireland)'
Fentimen, R;Ruggeberg, A;Lim, A;El Kateb, A;Foubert, A;Wheeler, AJ;Spezzaferri, S (2018) 'Benthic foraminifera in a deep-sea high-energy environment: the Moira Mounds (Porcupine Seabight, SW of Ireland)'. Swiss Journal Of Geosciences, 111 :533-544 [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'Seabed image acquisition and survey design for cold water coral mound characterisation'
Lim, A;Kane, A;Arnaubec, A;Wheeler, AJ (2018) 'Seabed image acquisition and survey design for cold water coral mound characterisation'. Marine Geology, 395 :22-32 [DOI] [Details]
(2018)'New insights on coral mound development from groundtruthed high-resolution ROV-mounted multibeam imaging'
Lim, Aaron; Huvenne, Veerle A. I.; Vertino, Agostina; Spezzaferri, Silvia; Wheeler, Andrew J. (2018) 'New insights on coral mound development from groundtruthed high-resolution ROV-mounted multibeam imaging'. Marine Geology, 403 :225-237   [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
(2017)'High-resolution facies zonation within a cold-water coral mound: The case of the Piddington Mound, Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic'
Lim, A;Wheeler, AJ;Arnaubec, A (2017) 'High-resolution facies zonation within a cold-water coral mound: The case of the Piddington Mound, Porcupine Seabight, NE Atlantic'. Marine Geology, 390 :120-130 [DOI] [Details]
(2013)'Moytirra: Discovery of the first known deep-sea hydrothermal vent field on the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge north of the Azores'
Wheeler, AJ;Murton, B;Copley, J;Lim, A;Carlsson, J;Collins, P;Dorschel, B;Green, D;Judge, M;Nye, V;Benzie, J;Antoniacomi, A;Coughlan, M;Morris, K (2013) 'Moytirra: Discovery of the first known deep-sea hydrothermal vent field on the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge north of the Azores'. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 14 :4170-4184 [DOI] [Details]

Published Reports

 YearPublication
(2019)Monitoring changes in submarine canyon coral habitats - Leg 1 (MoCha_SCan).
Lim, Aaron; O’Reilly, Luke; Summers, Gerard; Harris, Kim; Shine, Andrew; Harman, Luke; Appah, John; Macedo, Larissa; Boyd, John; Anders, Bebhinn; Killeen, Orla; Conti, Luis; O’Brien, Martina (2019) Monitoring changes in submarine canyon coral habitats - Leg 1 (MoCha_SCan). University College Cork, Cork.   [Full Text] [Details]

Professional Activities

Honours and Awards

 YearTitleAwarding Body
2017Delap Gold Prize University College Cork
2015President’s Award for Research into Innovative Forms of Teaching University College Cork
2012Devoy Prize University College Cork

Employment

 EmployerPositionFrom / To
Green Rebel Senior Analytics Manager01-JAN-22 / 30-JUN-22
Green Rebel Lead Data Scientist01-JAN-21 / 31-DEC-21
University College Cork Senior Postdoctoral Researcher01-JAN-19 / 31-DEC-20
University College Cork Postdoctoral Researcher01-FEB-17 / 01-JAN-19

Education

 YearInstitutionQualificationSubject
2017University College Cork PhDMarine Geosciences
2012University College Cork BSc (Hons) Earth ScienceEarth Science

Journal Activities

 JournalRoleTo / From
Frontiers In Marine Science Member of Editorial Board-
Isprs International Journal Of Geo-Information Peer Reviewer-
Geosciences Peer Reviewer-
Frontiers In Marine Science Peer Reviewer-

Teaching Activities

Teaching Interests

Module co-ordinator:
GG3007: Coastal and Marine Geomorphology
GG2005: Quaternary Environments and Geomorphology
GG6532: Coastal and Marine Resource Use Practices
GG1013: Environmental Geography

Contributes to:
GG1015: Applied Geography
GG2022: Fieldwork
GG2038: Geographical Research Methods
GG3006: Research Methods and Dissertation
ER4005: Frontiers in Earth Science
ER4001: Research Project

Recent Postgraduates

 Graduation YearStudent NameInstitutionDegree TypeThesis Title
2022Luke O' Reilly University College CorkPHDUnderstanding Key Geological Processes and Controls on Cold-water Coral Habitat Development in Submarine Canyons
2023Larissa Macedo University College CorkPHD
2023Ger Summers University College CorkPHD
2021Ruaihri Strachan University College CorkMaster of ResearchBedrock target analysis for ROV rockdrill sampling and existing sample stratigraphic and mineralogical verification (BeTar_drill)
2021Evan O' Mahony University College CorkMaster of ResearchAggregate potential of marine sediments off the South coast of Ireland

Research Information

Internal Collaborators

 NameInstituteCountry
Pat Meere University College CorkIRELAND
Andrew Wheeler University College CorkIRELAND
Ken Higgs University College CorkIRELAND

External Collaborators

 NameOrganisation / InstituteCountry
Jared Peters Green RebelIRELAND
Stacey Felgate Heriot-Watt UniversitySCOTLAND
Antonio Cano University of BelizeBELIZE
David Price Institute of Marine Research (IMAR) - University of AzoresPORTUGAL
Luis Conti University of Sao PaoloBRAZIL
Mohit Tunwal Pennsylvania State UniversityU.S.A.
Fabio Sachetti Marine InstituteIRELAND

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Department of Geography

Tíreolaíocht

University College Cork, Cork

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