Metadata 4866

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report reviews published and newly-acquired seabed geological data in an area of 78,000 square kilometres extending from the coast to more than 200 m water depth to the east of the British Isles. While it can be argued that the modern environment is a product of past environmental conditions, the basis for the review is also tha...

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). Eight marine mammal species are known to occur regularly in this area: grey seal, harbour seal, harbour porpoise, white-beaked dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, killer whale, and minke whale. Long-finned pilot whales and Risso's dolphins are regularly seen in waters around Shetland. There are occasional at-se...

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The SEA 5 area covers parts of the central and northern North Sea to the east of the Scottish mainland, Orkney and Shetland. The area supports different users and activities, many of which are focussed in particular coastal and marine areas. This report presents an initial overview of the coastal population of the SEA 5 area and the ...

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report provides data on the plankton community in the SEA 5 of the North Sea. Data for this report were provided by the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey, as well as sourced from outside organisations. The SEA 5 area is influenced by the Shelf Edge Current, which breaks off its main route in the form of the Fair Isle Current, ...

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). A review of the coastal distribution and abundance of swans and geese in the SEA 5 area, including migration routes, key feeding areas and roosting areas was carried out. A review of the potential impacts of offshore wind farms on swans and geese was also conducted. The study area was defined as the east coast of Scotland from the En...

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The SEA5 review differs from previous assessments in that the zone includes a large coastal fringe, along the whole east coast of Scotland and the Northern Isles, and contains a diverse range of habitats, from inter-tidal rocky shores and sandy beaches, to the shallow sub-littoral and deepwater mud basins offshore. These habitats sup...

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report assesses the socio-economic implications of licensing the SEA 5 area and sets out the results in relation to: oil and gas production, and reserves; capital, operating and decommissioning expenditure; employment; tax revenue; social impacts.The Department of Trade and Industry provided scenarios of possible exploration and...

As part of the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) a seabed survey was carried out. The survey comprised photography and seabed sediment and water sampling. The purpose of these surveys was to shed light on the distribution and extent of methane-derived autigenic carbonate (MDAC) in the Irish Sea.942 photographs are available. Cruise report is available.

As part of the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) a seabed sampling, video and geophysical survey was undertaken in the central Irish Sea with specific focus given to areas of Liverpool Bay and Tremadog Bay. The survey objectives were to conduct a strategic environmental study of locations where features of interest had been previously identified by organisations such as the Countryside Council for Wales and the School ...

As part of the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA6) a geophysical survey was undertaken on SV Meridian SEA6 Survey A (or Leg 1) in the eastern Irish Sea mainly in the central region between the Isle of Man and Cumbrian coast. The aims of the data collection were to survey geographical areas where the regional BGS maps and other published data indicated knowledge gaps in the understanding of regional seabed sediment distri...