Tag: environment

4-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Instability and Pollution Potential Mapping of Irish Shipwreck Sites for a National Risk Assessment Database (I-PoINt).

Earth and Ocean Lab, Department of Geography, University College Cork

https://www.earthworks-jobs.com/marine/ucc23121

The Earth and Ocean Lab, at the Department of Geography, University College Cork wishes to appoint a Post-Doctoral researcher to undertake the I-POINT project. Shipwrecks are anthropogenically derived seafloor features with important cultural heritage that may form biodiversity ‘hotspots’ in otherwise barren parts of the seabed. In recent times, their presence has typically been considered a hazard to trade and navigation (shipping routes), energy (renewable energy development) and marine resources (trawling). However, a relatively lesser studied hazard is the pollution potential of shipwrecks given their composition, cargo and long-term exposure to the marine environment that can up-concentrate shipwreck-derived pollutants akin to placer deposits. The I-POINT project is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research project that: i) identifies, maps and ranks the distribution of polluting shipwrecks around Ireland, and; ii) quantifies the impacts of the most intensely polluting shipwrecks. To do this, we propose a data-driven assessment of online archives, historical records, peer-reviewed literature using a Python-based automatic web-scraping method. Subsequent machine-learning analysis will rank shipwrecks pollution potential, their pollutants and distribution. A follow up multisensory survey will map the most intensely polluting wrecks (multibeam, magnetometry, side scan sonar, sediment sampling and ROV-based photogrammetry) and provide high-resolution multiscale (5 cm to 2 m) 3D models for input to hydrodynamic modelling using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. This assessment will determine the controls on pollution, the distribution of pollutants and their variance under changing marine environmental conditions, as well as assisting with scour studies to determine wreck site stability. On a broader scale, the real impact of this research will be the creation of a legacy report aimed at informing policy makers and other stakeholders at how to best manage and remedy shipwreck-based pollution on the short (5 years) and long term (50 years). The project is funded through the Marine Institute Post-Doctoral Fellowship.

Experience and knowledge in any of the following areas would be highly valued: seafloor mapping and imaging (ROV-derived photogrammetry acquisition and processing, multibeam sonar); data mining/web-scraping; sediment analysis (geochemical and particle size); CFD modelling; Irish shipwreck (heritage and policy). The appointee will work directly with PI’s at University College Cork and University College Dublin, and will be expected to engage with a range of external stakeholder organisations.

For an information package including further details of the post and to apply see: https://ore.ucc.ie/ (Job ID: 073372).

Application can only be accepted through at the above link.

The deadline for applications is 02-Feb-2024 12:00.

Managing Change Underwater Heritage

https://haveyoursay.historicenvironment.scot/heritage/managing-change-underwater-heritage/

Overview

The Managing Change guidance series supports good decision-making and explains how to apply the policies in the Historic Environment Policy for Scotland (HEPS) and the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4). It will also help anyone interested in a decision on a specific topic to understand the decision-making process.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is seeking your views on the draft Managing Change guidance on Underwater Heritage. This guidance outlines conserving underwater heritage around the coasts of Scotland and in freshwater environments such as lochs and rivers.

It includes information about the cultural significance of underwater heritage, current management practices, natural and human impacts on conservation, and safe exploration and investigation.

Why your views matter

We want to hear your thoughts and ideas about the proposed content of this guidance.

We welcome your feedback on any part, but particularly on whether you think we have identified the right key messages and considerations to guide decision-making. This includes considerations on the climate and nature crises and relevant plans and policies such as the National Planning Framework 4, UK Marine Policy Statement and the Scottish National Marine Plan.

We would like to hear your views on accompanying this guidance with case studies that demonstrate its practical application and if you have any suggestions for possible case studies.

You can provide feedback by completing this short online survey.

If you prefer, you can download the full set of consultation questions [PDF, 284KB] in advance. You can also download a copy of the draft guidance [PDF, 554KB].

Providing Feedback in Other Ways

If you would like a copy of the draft guidance and associated consultation questions in a different format, please let us know.

If you would like to provide feedback differently, such as over the phone, by email or via online meeting (on Microsoft Teams, Zoom or similar), please let us know and we would be happy to arrange this.

Please contact the Heritage Policy Service via email at heritagepolicy@hes.scot or via phone on 0131 668 8657.

Background

This proposed guidance has two key audiences:

  1. Practitioners and decision-makers who encounter underwater heritage in the course of their duties. This includes individual or organisations involved in:
  • Heritage management
  • Terrestrial and marine planning
  • Water-body management
  • Archaeological and environmental consulting or development
  1. Those who interact with underwater heritage for recreation, including scuba diving, or in the course of their work, such as commercial fishers.

The guidance aims to increase understanding of underwater heritage. It also aims to be a practical guide on identifying and managing the impacts of change in underwater heritage while protecting the cultural significance of these sites.

Contents

The draft guidance is split into three parts:

  1. Getting Started:
  • Key messages
  • Relevant policies
  • Understanding underwater heritage
  • Cultural significance
  • Protecting underwater heritage
  1. Impacts on Underwater Heritage:
  • Identifying impacts
  • Managing impacts
  1. Exploration, Investigation and Discoveries
  • Principles of preservation in situ
  • Excavation and recovery
  • Recreational activity including scuba diving
  • Commercial fisheries