AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - Geology.  Irish Sea, seabed and surficial geology and processes

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report discusses the seabed geology and the surficial geology and processes of the SEA6 region of the Irish Sea. The East Irish Sea Basin is at a mature exploration phase, having produced oil and predominantly gas since 1985. The hydrocarbon geology of the region is reviewed. Other prospectivity plays in the SEA6 area are the Caernarfon Bay Basin and the Cardigan Bay Basin. The seabed sediments, seabed sedimentary processes and the corresponding diverse range of seabed habitats in the area are described, drawing upon published data and on the new information acquired from surveys specifically conducted for this SEA in 2004.

Tags: Geology
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - Hydrography of the Irish Sea

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report describes the physical oceanography of the Irish Sea from St George's Channel in the south to the North Channel and the Clyde Sea in the north. The report covers the topography and depth of the sea floor, the tides, the impact of storms, stratification and its consequences and the mean circulation, all with a view to mean and extreme conditions.

The predominant dynamical process is the semi-diurnal tides, with areas of both high and low energy embraced. Superimposed on this is the full range of water column structure areas that are well mixed throughout the year; areas that stratify thermally in summer; areas of freshwater influence from river discharges, leading both to nearshore density gradients and stratification; frontal regions between the well-mixed and stratified regions.

The movement of the water and the amount of mixing prescribe physical effects, such as forces on structures and the movement and dispersion of contaminants, but also significantly influence biogeochemical processes including sediment erosion / deposition and movement, particularly of suspended sediment, benthic exchanges and primary productivity (via stratification, nutrient exchanges and light levels).

Tags: Hydrography
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - Sea Mammal Research - Background Information on Marine Mammals (Irish Sea)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). Seven marine mammal species are known to occur regularly in the SEA6 area. A relatively small but fairly discrete population of grey seals utilises all but the northwest Irish Sea. Harbour seals are found primarily in the far north of the area. Harbour porpoises are seen year round throughout the area and bottlenose dolphins are present year round off Wales. Minke whales, Risso's dolphins and short-beaked common dolphins are regularly seen in summer mainly in the far south. The report discusses the distribution and abundance of these mammals and their ecological importance. 

Marine mammals make use of sound for a variety of purposes: finding prey, detecting predators, communication and probably navigation. The offshore oil and gas industry generates underwater noise at every stage of the process: during exploration seismic surveys, drilling, production and decommissioning. The effects of these different sources of underwater noise on marine mammals are discussed. The use of explosives for underwater cutting and demolition during the decommissioning of platforms and installations may pose a serious threat to some marine mammals.

The effects of pollution on seals and cetaceans are discussed, including the effects of oil spills. The prevalence of disease among the marine mammal populations is reviewed.

Tags: Species distribution
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - The Distribution and extent of methane-derived authigenic carbonate (Irish Sea)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). Methane-derived authigenic carbonate (MDAC) is formed as a consequence of the anaerobic oxidation of methane by consortia of bacteria. MDAC develops as a rock-like concretion when a carbonate precipitate cements normal seabed sediment; the carbon of this carbonate is derived from methane. It occurs as crusts or slabs at the seabed, or as exposed lumps. The occurrence of MDAC is evidence of methane seepage, although the seepage is not necessarily going on at the present time. Large quantities of MDAC indicate that methane seepage has occurred over a prolonged period of time. 'Submarine structures formed by leaking gas' have been identified by the European Commission's Habitats Directive as habitats worthy of protection.

The distribution of MDAC in UK waters is poorly known. This report summarises the available information relevant to MDAC in the SEA6 area, including data acquired by surveys specifically conducted in support of this SEA in 2004. Carbon isotope data for samples recovered in 2004 have confirmed that the cemented hard grounds from two of the areas studied, Texel 11 and Holden's Reef, are composed of MDAC.

Tags: Geology
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - Assessment of the Status of Horse Mussel (Modiolus Modiolus) Beds in the Irish Sea off NW Anglesey

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report is an assessment of the status of the beds of the Horse Mussel Modiolus modiolus on the tide swept sea floor off north and northwest Anglesey, based on three short cruises of the RV Prince Madog during January - March 2005. In some places Modiolus forms dense beds that can carpet the sea floor and build up as reef-like features or bioherms. Side-scan sonar, sampling with grabs or dredges, and sledge mounted cameras were used to investigate the seabed. Modiolus was found, in sufficient abundance to be considered as 'beds', at four localities within the area surveyed. Modiolus beds are of considerable conservation interest, coming within the 'reef' category of the EU Habitats Directive, and they are listed under OSPAR. Modiolus beds are known to be highly vulnerable to physical disturbance; once destroyed, beds do not seem to recover naturally in the medium term. In addition to describing the occurrences of Modiolus and analysing the specimens sampled, the epifauna associated with them and other benthos in their vicinity are described.

Tags: Species distribution
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - Underwater Ambient Noise (Irish Sea)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report reviews the many different sources of underwater noise, both natural and anthropogenic, that combine to provide the background noise levels in which marine organisms need to survive throughout the SEA6 region. The sources of sound combine together in a complex manner resulting in significant spatial and temporal variations in the noise field. A map of the dominant noise sources in the Irish Sea is shown, indicating that man-made noise is the dominant source of noise over about 70% of the area. Shipping noise is likely to be dominant across large parts of the SEA6 area.

To fully characterise the ambient noise field in the SEA6 area would require multiple measurements at a large number of locations over a period of a year. However, a considerably lower cost approach would be to characterise each sound source and to use this with occurrence statistics for each source to model the ambient noise field across the region. The advantages and disadvantages of the acoustic modelling approach are discussed.

Tags: Production and industrial facilities
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - Other users (Irish Sea)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The SEA 6 area supports different users and activities, many of which are focussed in particular coastal and marine areas. It is a mixture of sparsely populated rural areas and highly developed centres of population. The primary contributors to the national and regional economies are tourism and leisure, oil and gas, ports and shipping and locally naval defence. The renewable energy sector is growing and may provide significant local opportunities for the port and local construction industries in the future. 

The report presents an overview of the coastal population of the SEA 6 area and the industries and activities using the SEA 6 area including: Oil and gas activity; Ports and shipping; Mariculture; Military activity; Telecommunication cables; Renewable energy; Aggregate extraction; Marine disposal; Tourism and leisure; Locally important activities; Coastal and marine archaeology; Coastal and marine management initiatives

Tags: Energy resources, Production and industrial facilities
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA6 Technical Report - Plankton Ecology of the Irish Sea

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report summarises information on the ecology of planktonic species found in the SEA6 area. The Irish Sea is very diverse not only in the physical-chemical regimes operating upon it, but in the ecology of planktonic organisms found there. Data on the nutrient chemistry of the Irish Sea shows that the eastern Irish Sea is more heavily impacted by nutrients owing to freshwater run-off from land, which is far greater than in the western Irish Sea. Nutrients increased from the 1950's to the 1980's after which time the concentrations have levelled off and in some case declined. The phytoplankton biomass appears to have mirrored the influence of the nutrients both in time and space. Highest biomass (inferred from chlorophyll analysis) is generally found in regions of low salinity and tends to be greatest in the eastern Irish Sea. The phytoplankton community has also been shown to vary throughout the seasons and also within different regions or 'ecohydrodynamic' domains of the Irish Sea.

The zooplankton community of the Irish Sea has also undergone significant change over the last thirty or so years. The most noticeable of these changes being a significant decrease in abundance of most of the species recorded. Some species distributions and abundances have been shown to be influenced by climate and it is highly likely that other species of plankton in the Irish Sea are also affected in this way. Climate, or more specifically the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), certainly has a major impact upon the physical-chemical environment of the region and this has a direct influence upon the ecology of planktonic organisms found in the Irish Sea.

Tags: Species distribution
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Technical Report - Other Users of the Area (includes GIS) (Irish Sea)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change).The purpose of this report is to provide an initial assessment of what is termed the Other Users of the SEA 7 area. These other users include those significant human activities and infrastructure occurring in the marine  and coastal zone, and not addressed by other SEA 7 data reports. Fisheries and maritime archaeology (wrecks) are therefore excluded. The report summarises current activity in the area, and where possible discusses likely future trends. It also summarises the relevance of each activity to any future proposed oil and gas activity. Where appropriate, comment is made about the potential sensitivity of an Other User to oil and gas development, or the potential restrictions to oil and gas development presented by existing users.

Tags: Energy resources, Production and industrial facilities
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2003 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Geology Report - Occurrence of carbonate and other mounds in the SEA7 region of the Atlantic Margin

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). Occurrence of carbonate and other mounds in the SEA7 region of the Atlantic Margin. This report focuses on the distribution, classification and internal (seismic) structure of carbonate mounds to the west of Ireland and the UK within the SEA7 region and its general environs. It also provides an overview of the main results from ongoing research in EU 5th Framework projects such as GEOMOUND, ECOMOUND and ACES. Various models for the origin and growth of carbonate mounds have been proposed in the literature. These range from hydrocarbon seepage and nutrient models to oceanographic and current influences and are discussed. The report also provides a comprehensive bibliography of mound references, a map of mound locations and a compendium of relevant metadata from the region.

Tags: Geology
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Technical Report - Benthos.  An Introduction to the Benthic Ecology of the Rockall - Hatton Area

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The SEA 7 area, especially the Hebrides slope and areas of the Rockall Trough has been significant in the development of deep-sea biology since the 19th century. In recent decades intensive sampling has been undertaken by researchers from UK institutions such as the Scottish Association for Marine Science (formerly the Scottish Marine Biological Association) and the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. 

The entire SEA 7 area is contained within the biogeographic region known as the Atlantic Deep-Sea Province, with the major oceanographic variables defined by the passage of North Atlantic Deep-Water. To the south, concentrated research efforts have taken place in areas such as the southern Rockall Trough, Porcupine Seabight and Porcupine Abyssal Plain. These encompass similar hydrographic and oceanic conditions to those of the SEA 7 area and form a basis for comparison.

A brief overview of the history of deep-sea research in the SEA 7 area is provided here, along with a summary of the physical environment. In this report, however, the main focus is the ecology of seafloor-dwelling organisms. The ecology of benthic communities is described with respect to large-scale trends and is discussed in the context of how anthropogenic influences may affect the benthos.

Tags: Habitats and biotopes, Species distribution
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Technical Report - Marine Mammals (NE Atlantic west of Scotland)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). Twenty-one cetacean species have been recorded in the SEA7 region. Of these, ten species are known to occur regularly: harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, short-beaked common dolphin, Risso's dolphin, white-beaked dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, long-finned pilot whale, killer whale, sperm whale and minke whale. Five further species, though not very often recorded, and primarily associated with deep water, probably also occur regularly: striped dolphins, fin whales, northern bottlenose whales, Cuvier's beaked whale and Sowerby's beaked whale. There are occasional at-sea records of a further 6 species: Sei whale, humpback whale, blue whale, northern right whale and false killer whale. Pygmy sperm whales and at least three further species of beaked whale might also be expected in the general area on occasion. In this report, each of the more abundant species is briefly described with particular reference to its distribution and abundance in the SEA-7 area.

Tags: Species distribution
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Technical Report - Conservation (NE Atlantic west of Scotland)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The coastal and marine areas within the SEA 7 boundary are very extensive, longer and more varied than any other SEA area. Stretching westwards into the Atlantic Ocean, the region includes a very large area of relatively shallow continental shelf. There are also a few uninhabited islands to the west of the Outer Hebrides, including St. Kilda with its multiple conservation designations.

The Outer Hebrides form one of the oldest geological provinces in Europe and is mainly based on Lewisian Gneiss. A major geological fault runs parallel to the east coast (The Minch coast), whereas the western side is normally a continuation of the continental shelf. These features are prominent in the southern islands, notably the Uists. Harris and Lewis present different topographies which include the high massif with Clisham at its centre and the low peat-covered plateaux of most of Lewis to the north. The east Minch coastline is generally steeper and falls to deeper inshore waters. It is also characterised by several transverse sea lochs which resemble similar fjords on the west mainland coast.

Although the legacy of glacial processes are complex, the main effect has been to over-deepen sea lochs and inter-island straits (e.g. Sound of Harris) and deposit great masses of glacial debris, especially sands, on the shallow continental shelf to the west where, with the prevalence of strong onshore Atlantic waves and winds, vast beaches were formed in this post glacial period.

Large quantities of organic sand (crushed shells) were added to this volume; as a consequence some of the larger beach and sand dune systems in Britain are found along the west coast. These extensive blown sand systems are called machairs, and provide a unique series of environmental and ecological systems with very high conservational status at European and international levels.

The west coast of the Outer Hebrides contains many sites of archaeological interest and retains a distinctive cultural landscape as one of the last strongholds of a historical system of land tenure and working found nowhere else in Europe. This way of life is considered to be one of the prime reasons for the creation and maintenance of many of the significant conservational attributes of the Outer Hebrides.

Tags: Protected sites Sea regions
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Technical Report - Maritime (NE Atlantic west of Scotland)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The report concentrates on reviewing existing data and published sources, rather than attempt a quantitative baseline of wrecks and casualties. There is a comprehensive corpus of legislation, plans and polices concerned with the protection of the submerged maritime archaeological resource within the SEA 7 study area.

The study outlines the known history of maritime activity within the SEA 7 area. Despite being an extremely large body of water that at times can produce dangerous sea and weather conditions, and encompasses the rugged coastlines of western Scotland and Northern Ireland, the area has been used extensively by seafarers from at least the Mesolithic (from 9000 BC) up to present times. During each time period there has been evidence of human activity within the SEA 7 area, often demonstrated by the discovery of maritime archaeological remains. The waters between the north east of Ireland and Scotland have been used as a means of communication throughout the centuries.

Previous investigations of maritime archaeological remains within the SEA 7 area are discussed in the report. The spatial distribution of submerged archaeological remains is discussed, and comments are made on the limitations of any mapped baseline of data. The study concludes with a comment on the potential impacts of oil and gas activities on the submerged maritime archaeological resource and suggests possible monitoring methodologies.

Tags: Production and industrial facilities
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)
2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 An Overview of Cephalopods Relevant to the SEA7 Area (NE Atlantic west of Scotland)

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change).The class Cephalopoda comprises three major divisions, of which two: Decapoda (squids and cuttlefish) and Octopoda (octopods) are represented in the SEA 7 Area. They are highly developed, but short-lived molluscs with rapid growth rates. They are important elements in marine food webs and interact significantly with marine mammals, seabirds and commercially exploited finfish species. They also represent a promising future fishery resource in terms of market value, abundance and growth potential.

At present, only an estimated 10% of exploitable stocks are utilised worldwide. There are six marketable squid species that occur in the SEA 7 Area. These belong to the long-fin (loliginid) and short-fin (Ommastrephid) squids the two most important exploited families of decpods. In the SEA 7 Area, only one species, Loligo forbesi is commercially exploited on a regular basis, although there are significant landings of other species on occasion. The closely related Loligo vulgaris sometimes appears in catches and the small Alloteuthis subulata is thought to be naturally abundant and an important food item in the marine ecosystem. 

There are other important species represented in the SEA 7 Area. These include cuttlefish, octopods, sepiolids and a number of deep-water species. Most of these are marketable and may be ecologically important. Large fisheries for some of these species, particularly octopods and cuttlefish operate in European waters further south, but they are not currently exploited in the SEA 7 Area.

Tags: Species distribution
Organization: British Geological Survey (BGS)