With frequently changing climatic conditions, decision makers are facing the challenge of protecting human lives and precious assets against flooding from rivers, the sea and storm surges in urban areas along coasts.
Fortunately, web-based services and solutions can support decision makers in their response to the comprehensive challenge posed by coastal flooding. Continue reading “Why web-based solutions are key for grasping the challenge of coastal flooding”
Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land, rocks or sand along the coastline. In addition to natural forces from the sea such as storm surges and sea level rise due to climate change, many human activities like harbour construction, maintenance dredging and more, all contribute to the erosion process.
We ask Kasper Kaegaard, our Senior Coastal Expert, five questions on coastal erosion to find out how we can protect our shorelines from this ongoing challenge. Continue reading “An insider’s perspective on tackling coastal erosion”
Ocean acidification is an effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide entering the ocean, lowering the water’s pH and increasing its acidity levels. High levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is largely an effect of human activities, such as deforestation for agriculture or fuel, but it is mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – to produce large amounts of concentrated energy at a relatively low cost. Continue reading “Diving deep into the problem of ocean acidification”
Plastic pollution in our oceans is one of the most pressing environmental issues we are facing today. A new study released in 2019 reveals that the amount of plastics in our oceans has been increasing significantly since its use became widespread in the 50s, and this problem is likely to get worse. Continue reading “How to tackle the problem of ocean plastic pollution with technology”
It is hard to deny that the demand for more energy is growing at a rapid pace on a global scale. As a result of this, different methods and solutions have been deployed to crack energy supply challenges throughout the past couple of decades. Especially renewable energy sources, such as wind power and solar energy, stand out as ways to reduce the impact fossil fuels have on global warming. Continue reading “Floating wind farms: A new dimension to offshore wind energy”
Most maritime infrastructure projects are required to undergo vigorous environmental and cultural or social impact assessments before being given the green light to be implemented. These evaluations look out for evidence demonstrating avoidance, minimisation or mitigation of impacts in the preparation, actual construction and post-construction phases.
We ask Juan C. Savioli, Head of the Coastal and Estuarine Department in our office in Malaysia, six questions on ‘Working with Nature’ and whether it is possible to integrate this concept into marine infrastructure designs. Continue reading “Myth or Fact? The concept of ‘Working with Nature’ for maritime infrastructure projects”
It is without question that the effects of human-derived underwater noise on marine life are receiving increased attention from scientists, regulators and the public. One of the core issues is the displacement of marine life from important areas due to behavioural responses to underwater noise from shipping, airguns and pile driving. Another issue is the impairment of hearing, which can be temporary (temporary threshold shift, TTS) or permanent (permanent threshold shift, PTS). Both effects can, at least in theory, lead to population-wide impacts to marine species. Continue reading “Agent-based modelling: Dynamic mapping of the movements of marine life”
It is a well-known fact that accidental oil spills can cause significant negative impacts on the environment – affecting ecosystems, bringing distress to marine life, damaging waterways, ruining infrastructure and economy, to name a few.
The 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico – often cited as the worst environmental disaster in the United States – saw up to 800,000 bird mortalities and approximately 60% decline in the number of laughing gulls along the Gulf coast between 2010 and 2013. Demands are therefore being placed on oil companies, service providers and environmental authorities to be prepared to take proper and efficient action, should an accident occur. Continue reading “Oil spill trajectories in emergency situations: from nerdy models to an easy online service”
Compliance with regulatory requirements increasingly demands clear evidence on how birds behave within and around wind farms. To meet this demand, automated multi-sensor monitoring systems such as MUSE have been developed to provide robust data on real-life bird behaviour at and within wind farms. The MUSE system is based on integrated radar and digital camera(s) and was developed during a four-year pioneering investigation on seabird behaviour at offshore wind turbines; the Carbon Trust Bird Collision Avoidance Study 2014-2017. Continue reading “Automated bird monitoring in offshore wind farms”
Calculating wave impacts in ports and terminals
Operational safety is at stake when wave movement is high in ports and terminals. As such, port authorities and key stakeholders are concerned with wave conditions affecting vessel motions to avoid costly consequences. In addition, high vessel motions may damage mooring lines, fenders, or even the moored vessels in the port. What if there was a faster, better and easier way to model waves in ports as compared to existing methods? Continue reading “What are the constraints of traditional numerical modelling?”
