Sand Banks, Sand Transport and Offshore Wind Farms
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Sand banks, sand transport and offshore wind farms Neil H. Kenyon DSc, CGeol. Kenyon MarineGeo 3, Broom Park Teddington TW11 9RN Phone 02380 596570 e-mail [email protected] Bill Cooper ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd. Southampton SO14 2AQ e-mail [email protected] May 2005 Sand banks, sand transport and offshore wind farms Author Biographies Neil Kenyon is a consultant sedimentologist with an honorary position at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. He has been doing research into the processes of continental shelf sand transport and sand body geometry on continental margins for 40 years and was previously in the Marine Geology Group of the National Institute of Oceanography, Wormley (later Institute of Oceanographic Sciences). Bill Cooper is Head of Modelling at ABP Marine Environmental Research (ABPmer) and lead author of the study examining the potential effects of offshore wind developments on coastal processes. Bill has since been responsible for carrying out coastal process investigations for several of the Round One offshore wind farms, and is also now involved with a number of Round 2 projects. Bill is a member of the DTI Offshore Renewable Energy Environmental Forum and a participant in the DEFRA Steering Group in Offshore Wind Farm Research. 2 Sand banks, sand transport and offshore wind farms CONTENTS CONTENTS................................................................................................................................................3 SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................................5 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................6 1.1. STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ..................................................................................6 1.2. ROUND 2 DEVELOPMENTS ...........................................................................................................6 1.3. POTENTIAL SEDIMENTARY CONCERNS ........................................................................................8 2. SAND BANKS .......................................................................................................................................9 3. SAND BANK CLASSIFICATION........................................................................................................11 3.1. TIDAL SAND BANKS ..........................................................................................................................12 3.1.1. Banner banks........................................................................................................................12 3.1.1.1. Fixed headland banner banks ......................................................................................15 3.1.1.2. Moving headland banner banks ...................................................................................16 3.1.2. Open shelf linear sand banks...............................................................................................17 3.1.3. Open shelf sinuous sand banks...........................................................................................22 3.1.4. Confined (estuary) sand banks ............................................................................................23 3.1.5. Ebb-flood tidal delta ..............................................................................................................28 3.2. NON -TIDAL SAND BANKS ..................................................................................................................28 3.2.1. Storm-generated ridges........................................................................................................28 4. SAND TRANSPORT............................................................................................................................30 4.1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................30 4.2. MOVEMENT OF SAND ON SAND BANKS ..............................................................................................32 4.3. MOVEMENT OF SAND BANKS ............................................................................................................34 5. THE CONCEPT OF CURRENT DOMINANCE ON THE UK SHELF ...............................................38 5.1. TIDAL CURRENT DOMINANCE ............................................................................................................38 5.2. SURGE CURRENT DOMINANCE ..........................................................................................................40 5.3. OCEANIC CURRENT DOMINANCE .......................................................................................................41 5.4. STORM WAVE DOMINANCE ...............................................................................................................41 5.4.1. Thick tabular sand patches as an indication of storm dominance......................................42 6. BEDLOAD TRANSPORT PATHS......................................................................................................45 6.1. TRANSPORT PATHS AROUND THE UK ...............................................................................................45 6.2. TRANSPORT PATHS IN THE THREE STRATEGIC AREAS ........................................................................46 6.2.1. Greater Wash........................................................................................................................47 6.2.1.1. Currents.........................................................................................................................47 6.2.1.2. Sand transport...............................................................................................................48 6.2.1.3. Suspended load transport.............................................................................................48 6.2.2. Thames..................................................................................................................................49 6.2.2.1. Currents.........................................................................................................................49 6.2.2.2. Sand transport...............................................................................................................49 3 Sand banks, sand transport and offshore wind farms 6.2.2.3. Suspended load transport.............................................................................................51 6.2.3. Eastern Irish Sea ..................................................................................................................51 6.2.3.1. Currents.........................................................................................................................53 6.2.3.2. Introduction to sand transport in the eastern Irish Sea................................................57 6.2.3.2.1. The SEA6 survey by RV Meridian ........................................................................59 6.2.3.2.2. Area 1a-d. Northern Area, Ayre sand system, Isle of Man..................................60 6.2.3.2.3. Area 1e. Northern Area, Outer Solway Firth ........................................................67 6.2.3.2.4. Area 2. Central Area..............................................................................................68 6.2.3.2.5. Area 3. Constable Bank ........................................................................................73 6.2.3.2.6. Area 4. Outer Morecambe Bay .............................................................................75 6.2.3.2.7. Cumbrian coast transit. .........................................................................................76 6.2.3.3. Suspended load transport.............................................................................................78 7. CHANGES IN EQUILIBRIUM RESULTING FROM HUMAN INTERVENTION...............................80 Fixed headland banner banks....................................................................................................80 Moving headland banner banks.................................................................................................81 Open shelf linear and sinuous banks.........................................................................................82 Confined sand banks..................................................................................................................83 Storm-generated ridges..............................................................................................................84 8. CONCLUSIONS...................................................................................................................................85 9. RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................................86 9.1. SUGGESTIONS FOR ROUND 2 DEVELOPMENTS ..................................................................................86 9.2. TECHNIQUES FOR DETERMINING REGIONAL BEDLOAD TRANSPORT PATHS ..........................................88 9.3. FURTHER RESEARCH .......................................................................................................................90 10. REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................91