Seabed Variability Studies

Offshore the seabed is susceptible to forcings due to the motion of the tides, storm surges and energetic waves during winter storms. Where these give rise to the movement of the seabed (erosion-accretion), risks to the primary assets (foundations structures; buried power cabling) can arise; it is therefore critical that developers have some understanding of the relative mobility of the seabed across their site in order to organise appropriate planning, develop mitigation measures (where necessary) and fund appropriate long-term monitoring programmes.

We have been involved with the Client consortium for 3 years providing critical advice, analysis and assessment within this technical area. Using a combination of expert geomorphological assessment, specialised morphological modelling approaches and a highly data-led approach, our work has been at the leading edge of scientific knowledge and methods. For the Dogger Bank sites the seabed mobility regimes have been identified in hitherto unachieved detail, and the form of bathymetries at timeframes decades into the future  have been developed. Our approach – which is being applied at other sites – provides the developer with significant reassurance as to the potential variability in the seabed at wide spatial scales and assists directly with engineering design for the assets. We continue to work with the Client on this project, and with their foundation design engineers, to develop the best possible outcomes for the project.