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  CV20_01 INFOMAR Survey Report

  Sheehan, Kevin; INFOMAR Survey Team (Marine Institute, 2021)

  Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) and Marine Institute (MI) conducted seabed mapping between 2003 and 2005 under the auspices of the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) and this continued from 2006 to present day under the INtegrated mapping FOr the sustainable development of Irelands MArine Resource (INFOMAR) programme. INSS was one of the largest marine mapping programmes ever undertaken globally, with a focus on deep water mapping. INFOMAR is a joint venture between the GSI and the MI and is funded by the Irish Government through the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). INFOMAR Phase 1, 2006 to 2015 focused on mapping 26 priority bays and 3 priority areas around Ireland and creating a range of integrated mapping products of the physical, chemical and biological features of the seabed in those areas. INFOMAR Phase 2, 2016 to 2026 intends to map the remainder of Ireland’s entire seabed.
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  Environmental Survey of Coastal and Shelf Waters – Southabout: Benthos monitoring 2020 (CV20-001)

  Healy, Louise; O'Beirn, Francis (Marine Institute, 2020)

  Since 2011 the Winter Environmental Survey (WES) has operated with an allocated ship-time of up to 13 days on the Celtic Voyager and funded through NDP. These surveys alternate between south-about and a north-about each year with a southerly survey proposed for 20202. The survey covers coastal waters and bays but also shelf waters through offshore transects and as such are complementary to EPAs estuarine water quality monitoring activities. While all previous surveys have had a strong multi-disciplinary component to them incorporating both Chemical and Biological elements, the survey during 2020 was reduced relative to previous years. During 2020, the Chemistry portion of the survey was omitted as a consequence of resource (personel) limitations. However, during 2020 the survey focused on benthos ecological quality element and some chemistry validation elements. It is expected that the survey will revert to a full multidisciplinary programme in 2021.
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  Environmental Survey of Coastal and Shelf Waters – Northabout: Winter nutrients, benthos and contaminants monitoring 2019 (Cv19-001)

  O'Beirn, Francis; O'Donnell, Garvan; Healy, Louise (Marine Institute, 2019)

  The 2019 survey continues the Marine Institute’s Winter Nutrients monitoring that commenced in 1990/91. The survey has evolved and expanded during this time period with respect to target areas, parameters and sampling strategy. In 2011 this survey was reestablished as a winter environmental survey with a broader remit to provide supporting information for OSPAR and Water Framework Directive (WFD Directive 2000/60/EC) assessments and also to maintain the winter time series on key biogeochemical parameters in Irish waters in response to pressures such as land based inputs of nutrients and climate change. Since 2011 the survey circumnavigates the Island of Ireland every two years, alternating southabout and northabout, starting in the Irish Sea and ending in Galway. This provides a complete coverage of Irelands coastal waters over two-year periods. However, given the timing of the surveys, winter by necessity to ensure minimal biological activity and therefore highest concentrations of dissolved nutrients, the weather is a significant factor in determining the actual, as opposed to planned, coverage of the target stations. This work is complementary to inshore water quality monitoring activities of the Irish Environmental Protection Agency and Marine Institute and the annual offshore oceanographic survey/climate section (53N/Rockall Trough) on the RV Celtic Explorer led by the Oceanographic Science Services group at the Marine Institute. The 2019 survey was designed to collect multidisciplinary information on physical conditions, water chemistry (dissolved nutrients, total alkalinity (TA), dissolved organic carbon (DIC) and salinity), sediment chemistry (persistent organic pollutants POPs and trace metals), sediment particle size distribution and benthic macroinvertebrates (at targeted waterbodies around the coast). This contributes to data collection needs of various statutory drivers (WFD and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Directive 2008/56/EC) as well as providing a research dataset on status and changing conditions (trends and variations) for key environmental variables.
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  Environmental Survey of Coastal and Shelf Waters Killybegs–Cork: Benthos monitoring 2017 (CV17-001)

  Healy, Louise; O'Beirn, Francis X (Marine Institute, 2017)

  Since 2011 the Winter Environmental Survey (WES) has operated with an allocated ship-time of up to 13 days on the Celtic Voyager and funded through NDP. These surveys alternate between south-about and a north-about each year with a southerly survey proposed for 2017. The survey cover coastal waters and bays but also shelf waters through offshore transects and as such are complementary to EPAs estuarine water quality monitoring activities. While all previous surveys have had a strong multi-disciplinary component to them incorporating both Chemical and Biological elements, the survey during 2017 was reduced relative to previous years. During 2017, the Chemistry portion of the survey was omitted as a consequence of resource (personel) limitations. The Chemistry Section will focus efforts on surveys (GO-SHIP AO2 line, and Rockall Hydrographic Survey) to be carried out on the Celtic Explorer during Q1/Q2 of 2017. However, during 2017 the survey focused on benthos ecological quality element and some hydromorphological elements. It is expected that the survey will revert to a full multidisciplinary programme in 2018.
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  Environmental Survey of Coastal and Shelf Waters – Southabout: Winter nutrients, benthos and contaminants monitoring 2018 (CV18-001)

  O'Beirn, Francis X; O'Donnell, Garvan; Healy, Louise (Marine Institute, 2018)

  The 2018 survey continues the Marine Institute’s Winter Nutrients monitoring that commenced in 1990/91. The survey has evolved and expanded during this time period with respect to target areas, parameters and sampling strategy. In 2011 this survey was re-established as a winter environmental survey with a broader remit to provide supporting information for OSPAR and Water Framework Directive (WFD - Directive 2000/60/EC) assessments and also to maintain the winter time series on key biogeochemical parameters in Irish waters in response to pressures such as land based inputs of nutrients and climate change. Since 2011 the survey circumnavigates the Island of Ireland every 2 years, alternating southabout (odd years) and northabout (even years), starting in the Irish Sea and ending in Galway. This provides a complete coverage of Ireland’s coastal waters over 2-year periods. However, given the timing of the surveys, winter by necessity to ensure minimal biological activity and therefore highest concentrations of dissolved nutrients, the weather is a significant factor in determining the actual as opposed to planned coverage of the target stations. This work is complementary to inshore water quality monitoring activities of the Irish Environmental Protection Agency and Marine Institute and the annual offshore oceanographic survey/climate section (53N/Rockall Trough) on the Celtic Explorer led by the Oceanographic Science Services group at the Marine Institute. As in previous years, the 2018 survey was designed to collect multidisciplinary information on physical conditions, water chemistry (dissolved nutrients, total alkalinity (TA), dissolved organic carbon (DIC), salinity), sediment chemistry (persistent organic pollutants POPs and trace metals), sediment particle size distribution and benthic macroinvertebrates (at targeted waterbodies around the coast). This contributes to data collection needs of various statutory drivers (WFD and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) - Directive 2008/56/EC) as well as providing a research dataset on status and changing conditions (trends and variations) for key environmental variables.

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