Marine Aggregate Dredging: A New Regional Approach to Environmental Monitoring

The subject of this thesis is the marine aggregate dredging industry, and specifically the approach taken to the monitoring of environmental effects on the seabed. The thesis forms the evidence required to allow the author to be examined for a PhD by Publication, and comprises of a list of the author’s publications, a confirmation of the author’s contribution to the multi-authored papers, and a critical analysis of the published work. The critical analysis takes the form of an essay, in which a case for switching to a new system of environmental monitoring is outlined. The essay presents a logical development of ideas, starting with a description of the aggregates dredging industry. This is followed by a critical analysis of the author’s past research, with a particular emphasis on how the findings from this work are relevant to the issue of monitoring. This earlier work has addressed themes of: Impact (Cumulative Effects), The Relationship between Sediments and Benthos, Recovery, Restoration, Habitat Mapping and Natural Variability. The essay then describes the current approach to monitoring, together with its limitations. This is followed by a description of the new monitoring approach, with an explanation of why it is considered more suitable for meeting the needs of both the industry and the industry regulators. The essay considers what steps would need to be taken to implement the approach in the major dredging regions of the UK.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of East Anglia

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Cooper, Keith

Language dc:language

en