EUMARSAND

EUROPEAN SAND AND GRAVEL RESOURCES: EVALUATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

OF EXTRACTION

NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENSSCHOOL OF SCIENCESDEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGYSECTION 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 :• 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

b) The formation of turbid plumes, of fine-grained sediments, during extraction which may

a) affect the benthic ecology, far from the extraction site

c) Destruction of benthic habitats and species, such as fish and shelfish populations

d) Cause disturbance of cultural heritage sites e.g. shipwrecks of archaeological interest

e) 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 ‘know-

how’ necessary to address effectively the various scientific problems related to:

a) resource prospecting; and

b) 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 non-linear 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), SpainExtensive 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 ScienceUniversity 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 GeologyUniversity of Gent (RUG), BelgiumInvolved 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 ClimatologyUniversity of Athens (NKUA), Greece

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), GreeceParticipation 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.

NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENSSCHOOL OF SCIENCESDEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGYSECTION OF GEOGRAPHY – CLIMATOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF THE AEGEAN

PARTICIPANTS AND EXPERTISE6. Maritime Institute Gdansk (MIG)

PolandUndertaken 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 DepartmentUniversity of Twente (UT), The NetherlandsResearch 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), GermanyUndertaken 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.

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

 

TRAINING PROVISION TO POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER OVER A 30 MONTH PERIOD