Fugro Supports English Coastal Monitoring Network with Essential Data

England’s Regional Coastal Monitoring Program (RCMP) which monitors 5,672 kilometers of English coastline, will continue to include Fugro expertise. Fugro’s coastal oceanographic team is awarded a contract for a further five years to manage the South West, North West, and North East Regional Coastal Monitoring Program.

Operated by six lead authorities, the RCMP continuously observe and record coastal processes, providing data in support of Shoreline Management Plans, coastal defense strategies and operational management of coastal protection and flood defense. Fugro is already familiar with the program having installed and maintained oceanographic and meteorological equipment for various parts since 2003.

“The processes and methods in place to ensure the continued success of the project have been incrementally developed over the last 13 years, and continue to evolve to ensure an efficient and cost-effective approach,” said Andrew Gowland, Fugro’s senior oceanographer and project manager for the RCMP network.

Monitoring Service and Equipment

Fugro maintains 30 wave buoys, two seabed mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs), 12 tide gauges and 13 meteorological stations, and provides constant monitoring of all real-time instruments, whilst facilitating the transfer of data to the Channel Coastal Observatory (CCO) website. Its in-house software provides automated quality checks on incoming data and monitors equipment integrity; distributing warning alerts if data parameters indicate sensor damage or telemetry failure. This 24-hour duty service ensures a fast and efficient response to any warnings and incidents. In addition, Fugro also provides a comprehensive data processing and reporting service.

Challenging Installations

The installation of the RCMP shore stations and associated metocean equipment, have at times presented some challenges. In 2011, the installation of a Rosemount WaveRadar Rex on the Second Severn Bridge, located mid-span, required 2.7 kilometer of data cable! Although a challenge, the resulting successful installation ensures that tidal elevation and wave data of the Severn Estuary are transferred to a shore-based computer in real-time via the cable, for onward display on the CCO website.

Additional requirements recently saw Fugro also undertake a study into sediment transport in Poole Bay, involving the collection of data using a five beam ADCP and a sediment tracer. 1,000 kilograms of fluorescent tracer sand were released approximately 400 meters offshore and subsequently tracked. Outputs from both surveys provided an understanding of the natural sediment movement in Poole Bay and will help determine the feasibility of nearshore replenishment schemes.

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