Transcript EUMARSAND - uni

EUMARSAND
EUROPEAN SAND AND GRAVEL RESOURCES:
EVALUATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF
EXTRACTION
NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS
SCHOOL OF SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
SECTION OF GEOGRAPHY – CLIMATOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF THE AEGEAN
BACKGROUND INFORMATION (1)
• Marine aggregates (sand and gravel) have emerged as a
strategic mineral resource
• Annually, approx. 40 million m3 of marine sand and gravel
extracted from North European inner Continental Shelf
• 15% extracted materials used outside country of production
• Need for realisation of large-scale infrastructure projects for
coastal areas of Europe
• New resources must be found
• Environmental concerns must be addressed
BACKGROUND INFORMATION (2)
• Marine aggregate extraction can, in general terms:
a) have harmful effects on fauna, flora and water quality in
the area of mining;
b) alter significantly regional sediment transport patterns
and coastal morphodynamics.
• Potential conflicts of interests exist between marine aggragate
industry and other sea-bed users
•
•
•
FISHERIES
SHIPPING
OIL INDUSTRIES
and, more recently
•
OFFSHORE WINDMILL FARMS (for power generation)
BACKGROUND INFORMATION (3)
• Effects of marine aggregate extraction which have been considered
include:
a)
Changes in seabed elevation, which may :
•
•
•
•
b)
The formation of turbid plumes, of fine-grained sediments,
during extraction which may
a)
c)
d)
e)
alter inner shelf flows
enhance the wave energy towards the coast
change the active beach-nearshore sediment systems and budgets
enhance coastal erosion and retreat
affect the benthic ecology, far from the extraction site
Destruction of benthic habitats and species, such as fish and
shelfish populations
Cause disturbance of cultural heritage sites e.g. shipwrecks of
archaeological interest
Creation of large depressions on the seabed (depending upon
extraction method) where anoxic conditions may develop
BACKGROUND INFORMATION (4)
It appears that there are
• no coherent policies and regulations, even between long-standing
trade Partners
• disparities between the different EU Member States, in ‘knowhow’ necessary to address effectively the various scientific
problems related to:
a)
b)
resource prospecting; and
the environmental impacts of marine aggregate mining
Thus, need at European level, for integrated and coherent
approaches to resource prospecting:
•
•
environmental considerations; and
the development of a science-based approach to management
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
• Quantification of marine aggregate usage and specific demands
[incl. standardisation of methods of description of sand and
gravel, within Europe]
• Assessment of the methods used for the prospecting of marine
aggregate resources
• Near-field modelling of the physical and ecological impacts of
offshore sand and gravel mining
• Improvement in the understanding of ‘bed regeneration’
processes
• Far-field modelling of the effects of dredging on adjacent
coastlines
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: (1)
RESOURCE PROSPECTING
• Optimisation of survey strategies, including the deployment of
‘state-of-the-art’ geophysical instrumentation
• Optimisation of sampling strategies, on the basis of geophysical
data
• Integrated mapping of the occurrence and characterisation of
marine aggregates, including coupling to a Geographical
Information System (GIS) for various visualisation approaches
• All the above tailored to ‘end users’ needs, to establish ‘targeted
prospecting strategies’
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: (2)
ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
• Hydrodynamic and sediment transport modelling,
calibrated/validated against high-quality field observations
• Extrapolation of short-term modelling results and field
observations, to obtain long-term sediment transport patterns and
budgets
• Investigation of near-field effect of extraction, using a 3-D nonlinear model
• Examine the influence of extraction on wave propagation, in
relation to coastal morphodynamics, through modelling of field
measurements
• Study of the ecology of the sites under investigation* e.g. through
the use of Biotic Index
*Common Fieldwork Programmes
(i) Tidal Belgian inner Continental Shelf (R/V Belgica)
(ii) Non-tidal Baltic Sea (R/V Littorina)
PARTICIPANTS (9) AND EXPERTISE
1.
Department of Oceanography and Marine
Environment AZTI - Technological Institute
for Fisheries and Food (Co-ordinator), Spain
Extensive experience in applied oceanographic studies, particularly in the fields of ecology,
hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics. Undertaken numerous environmental impact
assessment studies, including monitoring the biological effects of offshore sand abstraction
for beach replenishment and harbour construction. Development and use of a Q-3D
hydrodynamic and dispersion model and Biotic Index.
2.
School of Ocean and Earth Science
University of Southampton, (SUSOES), U.K.
Expertise and experience in various aspects of sediment dynamics. Research
interests include the formation and maintenance of sand and gravel banks (NW Europe)
PARTICIPANTS AND EXPERTISE
3.
Renard Centre of Marine Geology
University of Gent (RUG), Belgium
Involved strongly in high-resolution seismic and geological investigations of continental
shelves, including instrumentation development. Active research group in coastal zone
management.
4.
Dept. of Geography and Climatology
University of Athens (NKUA), Greece
NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS
SCHOOL OF SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
SECTION OF GEOGRAPHY – CLIMATOLOGY
Participation in national projects for coastal development and management. Extensive
expertise on issues associated with modern sediment supply to coastal waters of the
Mediterranean Sea, in relation to natural and anthropogenic activities.
5.
Marine Science Department
University of the Aegean (UOA), Greece
UNIVERSITY OF THE AEGEAN
Participation in large-scale marine aggregate prospecting, detailed evaluation of specific
resources, seabed mobility and coastal impact studies. Studies into legal aspects of
marine aggregate prospecting and licensing.
PARTICIPANTS AND EXPERTISE
6.
Maritime Institute Gdansk (MIG)
Poland
Undertaken systematic monitoring of the (Polish) coast, archived inn a GIS Database.
Dissemination and exploitation of databases used for optimisation of coastal protection.
Participation in prospecting and documentation of offshore aggregate resources, for
beach nourishment.
7.
Coastal Geomorphology and Shoreline Management Unit
Université du Litoral Côte d’Opale (ULCO), France
Research into coastal and nearshore geomorphology and sediment dynamics,
particularly gravel and sandy shorelines. Includes impact of anthropogenic activities (e.g.
dredging and port construction) on coastal and nearshore sediment budgets.
8.
Civil Engineering Department
University of Twente (UT), The Netherlands
Research into seabed morphodynamics, particularly the interaction between human
activity and the natural system. Development of morphodynamic models, in combination
with a variety of field data sets, to investigate: subsidence and sedimentary deposits
(tidal sandbanks); and the effect of sand extraction on the (natural) morphodynamics,
PARTICIPANTS AND EXPERTISE
9.
Institute of Geosciences
University of Kiel (IFG-CAU), Germany
Undertaken basic and applied research into coastal environments: coastal evolution;
hydrodynamics and morphodynamics; environmental and ecological impacts; coastal
protection; and coastal zone management. Involvement in creation of an inventory of
mobile clastic materials for the German sector of the North Sea.
TRAINING PROVISION TO POSTDOCTORAL
RESEARCHER
OVER A 30 MONTH PERIOD
Ref No.
Organisation
Research Area
1.
AZTI
Marine Ecology
2.
SOES; University of Southampton, U.K.
Sediment Dynamics
3.
RUG; University of Ghent, Belgium
Marine Geophysics
4.
NKUA; University of Athens, Greece
Coastal Geomorphology
5.
UAO; University of Aegean, Greece
Resource Exploration
6.
MIG; Maritime Institute, Gdansk, Poland
Information Systems
7.
ULCO; Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale,
France
Coastal Sedimentology
8.
UT; University of Twente, The Netherlands
Morphodynamic modelling
9.
IFG-CAU; University of Kiel, Germany
Marine Geology