This spring has been a busy season for our Survey Team. Extended periods of settled weather coinciding with some large tidal periods has allowed them to successfully complete a range of exciting new survey campaigns.

We have recently completed topographic surveys in Poole Harbour to help with the design of a new intertidal habitat creation site. The survey data has been used to ground truth the available Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data.

Our Survey Team has also been collecting topographic, flow and tidal data at Langstone Harbour to inform the modelling and design work for a proposed managed realignment scheme. We also completed a baseline ecology survey of the intertidal area. From this, we’ve created a broad-scale habitat map that identifies the presence and distribution of designated features, rare species and nationally important biotopes.

As well as completing topographic surveys, our Survey Team has been in Ireland undertaking comprehensive hydrographic surveys. We used Acoustic Wave and Current Profilers (AWACs) to collect data in the Waterford Estuary on currents and water current structure, these were supplemented by a series of transecting / water quality profiling surveys. Alongside both the deployed and transecting surveys, we collected information on water temperature, salinity and suspended sediment.

The collected data is underpinning the new hydrodynamic and sediment models we are developing for The Port of Waterford. The models will be used to optimise the port’s current dredge commitment along with informing feasibility studies, environmental assessments, designs and construction plans for the port’s ongoing growth.

Other recent surveys included collecting seabed samples for sediment quality analysis in both Southampton Water (to support a marine licence for a dredging application) and the Humber Estuary (as part of a proposed managed realignment project).

Prepared by Andrew Pearson, Environmental Consultant

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