SEA AND LAND TECHNOLOGIES Pte Ltd’s Post

Geophysical surveys always form an essential part of any project’s life cycle and safe execution. Although essential, these surveys must always be designed and carried-out in a way that is as sympathetic as possible to sea life and the marine environment. If not, survey activities, particularly seismic surveys, could result in damaging effects on wildlife. In our helpful white paper, we review environmental protection standards in the UK, Europe (EU) and the USA, considering how the noise levels of our seismic sources compare to these standards. Click here to download it here: https://lnkd.in/eWH4VVA9 #MarineWildlife #Offshore #RenewableEnergy

Need accurate underwater data for your marine project? G Map's hydrographic surveys provide the precise information you need for informed decision-making. Swipe through to discover how our services address challenges in navigation, environmental protection, and resource exploration. #HydrographicSurveys #MarineProjects #OceanData #GMap

🌊 *"Unlock the ocean's depths with G Map's hydrographic surveys! Our precise data empowers your marine projects for better navigation, environmental protection, and resource exploration."* #HydrographicSurveys #MarineProjects #OceanData #GMap

Energy is essential to life but developing energy resources requires balancing development with wildlife. Seismic surveys are an important tool for safe and sustainable energy exploration and development. EnerGeo and its members are committed to protecting the marine environment while these surveys take place. With careful planning and skilled operations, seismic surveys and the marine environment coexist in harmony. #ScienceBased #SpeakScience

In a stunning victory for the community and wildlife, plans to conduct seismic testing in the ecologically sensitive Otway Basin, off the Victorian coast, have been abandoned by energy data company TGS. Initially Australia’s largest seismic testing proposal, the project would have paved the way for gas extraction in an area that provides habitat for endangered southern right whales, pygmy blue whales and many other marine species.  Seismic testing involves blasting compressed air from a specially adapted ship. The noise from the blasts causes sound waves to bounce off the seabed back to sensors carried by the ship.   The impact of seismic blasting on marine animals such as whales can include damage to the sensors that they use to hear, ability to communicate through their electro-frequencies, stress, displacement from habitat, physical injuries and death.  There was fierce community opposition to the TGS proposal, with the offshore regulator, NOPSEMA receiving more than 30,000 submissions during consultation.  EDO's gas team has been assisting several organisations, including Australian Marine Conservation Society and Surfrider Foundation Australia, in relation to offshore gas projects in the Otway Basin - providing support for community and environmental groups to participate in stakeholder consultation processes in an attempt to minimise impacts on the marine environment and ocean users. Our clients were already successful in reducing the original size of the Otway Basin project to minimise its impact footprint to largely exclude pygmy blue whale migration paths.  Last week, TGS announced its decision to completely withdraw its environmental plan from NOPSEMA assessment. 

The future of Australia’s marine life is at stake, and tomorrow is a critical moment. 🐋 Seismic blasting is how the fossil fuel industry conducts damaging surveys for fossil fuels that can harm marine life like endangered whales and Little Penguins, disrupting breeding and feeding habitats. Using Special Prospecting Authorities (SPAs) permits, seismic blasting operations can bypass key checks and balances to fast track seismic blasting, and it's time they’re abolished for good. Tomorrow, in the final sitting fortnight of Parliament for 2024, MPs Dr Monique Ryan (Ind Kooyong) and Bridget Archer (Liberal Bass) will introduce a Private Members Bill to abolish SPAs and protect our oceans from reckless seismic blasting. This bill is Parliament’s opportunity to take real action to protect Australia’s oceans and beloved marine species from harmful seismic blasting. Over 21,000 of you have already emailed the Federal Minister of Resources, Madeleine King, calling for seismic blasting SPA permits to be abolished. 🙌 Now, we need Parliament to listen. Together, we can end seismic blasting SPA permits and keep our oceans safe. Head to the link in below to take action today, and stay tuned tomorrow as we watch Parliament’s response to this important bill. 🌊 https://bit.ly/3HmbdWO

MANMADE #SOUNDS FOR #SURVEYS HARM #MARINE #MAMMALS. For example, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC and Ørsted’s OW Ocean Winds both requested #permission to #harm ocean #mammals in their applications for New Jersey #offshore #wind projects. And, since boats ramped up #offshore #surveys in May 2022, 31 #dead #whales have #washed up on New Jersey and surrounding beaches. Ørsted, which in November pulled out of a proposed New Jersey #offshore #wind farm, requested #permission to #harm 30 #whales, 3,231 #dolphins, 82 #porpoises, and eight #seals through #sound #waves generated by its #surveys—although the company claims that the #damage would be negligible. The precise numbers and detailed species can be found on the website of the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, in Ørsted’s Application for Incidental Harassment Authorization (Table 9). Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC, owned by Dutch Shell oil and French EDF, is still seeking permission to locate an #offshore #wind farm in New Jersey. In its #Request for #Incidental #Harassment (Table 6-3) it stated that #acoustic #waves associated with the siting of the #wind #turbines would likely #affect 10 whales, 662 dolphins, 206 porpoises, and 546 seals (also termed a negligible amount). It received #permission to #harm these marine animals. Although the companies describe effects as “negligible,” the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration website states that it’s difficult to measure the effects of #manmade #sounds on #mammals. “#Acoustic #trauma, which could result from close exposure to loud human-produced sounds, is very #challenging to #assess, particularly with any amount of decomposition,” or damage to the whale’s body, states NOAA on its website.

Following World Oceans Day on Saturday 8 June, we're sharing one of our favourite underwater monitoring case studies 🌊 Submersible Tinytag Aquatic 2 data loggers are used in environmental research to record seawater temperature data for a variety of scientific research studies in UK waters and further afield. Read the full case study here: https://ow.ly/pAsF50Sej2k #Tinytag #dataloggers #worldoceansday #environmentalresearch

Did you know that we are far more than just Geophysics and Geotechnics? Our purpose—to make this a safe and livable world—extends beyond geodata insights and reaches out to #climateandnature Next up in our #SpeciesInTheSpotlight series that looks 🔍 at the weird and wonderful world of marine invertebrates is the deep-sea spider 🕷️ (𝘉𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮). 📍 North-East Atlantic Animals within the class Pycnogonida are commonly called ‘sea spiders’ and can be found in marine waters around the worlds – in fact, there are over 1,300 known species. While they remain relatively small in shallow waters, they can grow substantially larger in deeper zones, with the leg span of some species reaching over half a metre! 😲 𝘉𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮 is around 5-centimetres and found at depths between 500 and 2000-metres. Like many deep-dwelling sea spiders, they do not have eyes 🙈. Instead, they have a pair of palps at the front of their body which carry sensory organs. Did you know? All sea spiders pump blood 🩸 and oxygen around their body with their gut. While their heart is too small and weak to push blood, their gut branches into each leg 🦵. As oxygen passively diffuses into a sea spider’s legs, it is moved into the torso by contracting their gut.  📷 credit: Daniel Buss #MarineBiodiversity #EnvironmentalServices #SafeAndLiveableWorld #Fugro

When we politicize the Environmental space, biodiversity pays the price. When the Trump administration authorized the use of seismic airgun blasting in November 2018 to locate untapped oil and gas reserves deep underneath the Atlantic Ocean along the Eastern Seaboard, environmental groups expressed outrage, stating that such ear-piercing surveys would harm marine life. The administration’s action, which reverses an Obama-era policy against the use of seismic surveys, is deemed "shortsighted and dangerous" by Diane Hoskins, campaign director of Oceana. She said in a statement, "Seismic airgun blasting can harm everything from tiny zooplankton and fish to dolphins and whales." Although the National Marine Fisheries Service stated that it expects no marine life to be harmed by the surveys, some scientists disagree, asserting that the blasts could affect the mating, communication, and feeding patterns of marine mammals. Today, we witness the same actors remaining silent about seismic activities and the displacement of marine mammals' feeding grounds due to offshore wind operations. As the plankton population in our oceans dwindles, it is imperative that we seek ways to mitigate the negative impacts of these offshore projects. However, rather than pausing to address the issue, it seems to be full steam ahead as we witness the deterioration of our marine ecosystem. Despite the relentless efforts of offshore wind lobbyists to silence me in recent years, I refuse to back down. I will continue the fight to protect our ocean from this reckless rampage. It is crucial to recognize that all offshore structures, be it for oil and gas or wind energy, contribute to the decline of plankton in our oceans. We cannot afford to introduce more offshore structures and further jeopardize our marine ecosystem. Instead, we should focus on preserving existing fast-growing filter feeders on these structures. Let's set aside political rhetoric and unite towards our ultimate goal - to safeguard our ocean and prevent the extinction of humanity. oceanintegrity.org https://lnkd.in/g_VdDyYy.