A4 - Long-term sediment transport measurement and modelling
A - Resource and Environment Characterisation
Challenges/Opportunities
Ocean sediments can be mobile, affecting offshore structures, cables and habitat. The motion of sands and other sediments and the possibility of scour must be predicted, as well as environmental harm minimised.
Solution
Reliable multiscale methods - which work at region and farm scale, as well as local to structures - are needed to predict changes in bathymetry, sediments and habitat, validated by field surveys.
Context and Need
The mobility of the seabed through sediment transport can affect offshore renewable energy (ORE) facilities. Scour management is often required around seabed structures and sediment transport can also affect cable integrity. In shallow estuaries, the change in flow from tidal energy facilities can create sediment morphological change. These sediment transport phenomena can affect the function of ORE systems and can also impact on habitat and ecosystems. A better understanding of these processes, through accurate models validated by field observations, will help to ensure that sediment transport processes associated with ORE systems do not cause adverse effects to those systems or the environment.
Summary
Morphological change in tidal races, tidal estuaries and the open ocean is not well understood, hampering exploitation resources. If the changes to water flow, sediment and habitat can be predicted, confidence in design and social acceptability will be raised.
Impact Potential
Habitat directive is currently an effective barrier to EIA consenting in estuaries. Unlocking significant resource and consequent social and environmental benefits.
Benthic change management and augmentation.
Reducing wind farm asset OPEX through reduced sediment related cable damage.
(social) Tourism risk due to lagoons changes from Sandy to Muddy beaches quantified.
Access/use of estuaries for other purposes (economic/social).
Other potential areas of interest: climate change, civil engineering, coastal protection
Research Summary
Related recent research projects:
- Well understood large scale and medium scale sediment changes due to ORE. (Less work to date on fine scale)Ecology effects of energy extraction changes to waves and tides exists, e.g., SEACAMS2
- Natural versus anthropogenically driven behaviour of hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics in Yangtze Estuarian Delta
- Newton Fund: Applying nature-based coastal defence to the world's largest urban area - from science to practice
- Offshore Wind Innovation Hub - Substructures innovation priorities