Geological seabed stability model for informing Irish offshore renewable energy opportunities

Abstract

Abstract. Climate change has driven the European Union to propose a reduction in carbon emissions by increasing renewable energy production. Although Ireland is rich in renewable energy, especially offshore wind resources, it is failing to reduce its annual carbon emissions. This study endeavours to improve Ireland's marine spatial planning abilities and offshore renewable energy developments by harmonising and customising a unique geological dataset for incorporation into geospatial assessments of Ireland's continental shelf. A dataset of 1858 points, including 17 new seabed samples collected at strategic sites for this study, is created and used to build a series of geospatial outputs. Data are interpolated with empirical Bayesian kriging to use variogram analyses for probabilistically interpolating coded geological values. The interpolation results are validated through leave-one-out cross-validation and combined with bespoke models of bathymetry and seabed slope using map algebra. The final model reveals areas of relative probable seabed stability based on geological and geomorphological characteristics and is shown to comport with known conditions in several locations. Results suggest that the methods and results presented here could provide useful information to future planning activities and initial site selection assessments.

Development and Application of a GIS for Identifying Areas for Ocean Energy Deployment in Irish and Western UK Waters

“…Marine Traffic TSS act as corridors for large ships, similar to motorways for road vehicles. They ar defined by the International Maritime Office (IMO) and are policed at a local level by th After excluding areas with no data, the 7-point Folk grain size classification system (Folk-7 Scale) was used to map the seabed substrate data in the tool; this was sufficient to inform the development of ORE infrastructure [44]. This classification system divides the various seabed substrate types into the following seven categories: Following interest from industry, this same dataset was used to map the areas where excavation to shore was and was not possible.…”

“…Nevertheless, higher resolution models will be warranted for such site-specific assessments at the local/farm scale before deployment. Furthermore, although the seabed character model achieved consistent accuracy when compared to the in situ validation points in each sea area, it is still highly recommended to seek higher resolution, up-to-date surveys of the seabed prior to actual deployments; these should include depth to bedrock and seabed stability assessments [44]. With the growing interest and development of the ORE sector in the study region, such services are now available for tender on demand [79].…”

The Integration of Tools for the Techno-Economic Evaluation of Fixed and Floating Tidal Energy Deployment in the Irish Sea

“…This classification system divides the seabed character into: Rock and Boulders; Coarse Sediment (Gravel ≥ 0% (or Gravel ≥ 5% and Sand ≥90%)); Mixed Sediment (Mud 95-10%; Sand < 90%; Gravel ≥ 5%); Mud (Mud ≥ 90%; Sand < 10%; Gravel < 5%); Sandy Mud (Mud 50-90%; Sand 10-50%; Gravel < 5%); Muddy Sand (Mud 10-50%; Sand 50-90%; Gravel < 5%) and Sand (Mud < 10%; Sand ≥ 90%; Gravel < 5%). The resolution of EMODnet Folk-7 data available for the study site was 1:250,000 [28].…”