This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). Occurrence of carbonate and other mounds in the SEA7 region of the Atlantic Margin. This report focuses on the distribution, classification and internal (seismic) structure of carbonate mounds to the west of Ireland and the UK within the SEA7 region and its general environs. It also provides an overview of the main results from ongoing research in EU 5th Framework projects such as GEOMOUND, ECOMOUND and ACES. Various models for the origin and growth of carbonate mounds have been proposed in the literature. These range from hydrocarbon seepage and nutrient models to oceanographic and current influences and are discussed. The report also provides a comprehensive bibliography of mound references, a map of mound locations and a compendium of relevant metadata from the region.

As part of the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA2 a survey was undertaken in May/June 2001 for areas in the central and southern North Sea. This report summarises the sediment trace and heavy metal data generated from the analyses of selected samples from the three main study areas: the major sandbanks off the coast of Norfolk and Lincolnshire in the southern North Sea (SNS); the Dogger Bank in the SNS; and the pockmarks in the Fladen Ground vicinity of the central North Sea.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA3) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) and is an addendum to "SEA2 Technical report 008 - North Sea Geology, covering subsurface geology, sea-bed sediments, sediment mobility and seismicity." by same authors. The geology of the North Sea from the Palaeozoic era to the present day is reviewed, with reference to petroleum geology. Geological factors affect the environmental consequences of oil and gas exploitation in many different ways. For example, in the case of the Ekofisk oilfield in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, oil production led to seafloor subsidence of a few metres due to its chalk reservoir, but production-related subsidence on this scale is atypical. The evolution of the geomorphology and composition of the shallow and seabed sediments is discussed. The distribution of mud, sand, gravel and hard substrates influence the nature of the benthos and can affect the way in which contaminants are accumulated and transported. Shallow seabed sediments support the foundations of structures ranging from platforms to pipelines. Hydrogeological conditions and the risk of pollution to aquifers are also reviewed.

This report contains heavy metal concentrations (As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Cd, Fe, Hg, Pb, Mn, Ni, Sr, V and Zn) and sedimentological characteristics (particle-size analysis) which were determined in respectively 61 and 68 samples for the Atlantic margin Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) . A spreadsheet of data is available.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). Twelve marine mammal species occur regularly in the SEA4 area: grey seal, harbour seal, hooded seal, harbour porpoise, white-beaked dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Risso's dolphin, long-finned pilot whale, killer whale, minke whale, fin whale and sperm whale. A further eleven cetacean species and four pinniped species are occasional visitors. This report describes the distribution and abundance of these mammals and their ecological importance. The SEA4 area is an important area for cetaceans, but little is known about the abundance or seasonal distribution of many species. Marine mammals make use of sound for a variety of purposes: finding prey, detecting predators, communication and probably navigation. The offshore oil and gas industry generates underwater noise at every stage of the process: during exploration seismic surveys, drilling, production and decommissioning. The effects of these different sources of underwater noise on marine mammals are discussed. The use of explosives for underwater cutting and demolition during the decommissioning of platforms and installations may pose a serious threat to some marine mammals. However, current understanding of the effects of noise on marine mammals is rudimentary. The effects of pollution on seals and cetaceans are discussed, including the effects of oil spills. The diseases to which they are subject are briefly discussed, as are non-oil management issues such as fisheries bycatch.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The SEA5 review differs from previous assessments in that the zone includes a large coastal fringe, along the whole east coast of Scotland and the Northern Isles, and contains a diverse range of habitats, from inter-tidal rocky shores and sandy beaches, to the shallow sub-littoral and deepwater mud basins offshore. These habitats support a wide range of invertebrate resources, of which six species of crustacean, four species of bivalve mollusc and two species of gastropod mollusc form the basis of a thriving shellfish fishing industry in Scotland. The landings are dominated by the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus which occurs in four main areas, one of which, the Fladen ground, is in close proximity to mature oil fields. The fishery for this species in the North Sea is likely to increase, with diversion of effort from the demersal fisheries for cod and other whitefish. Much of this expansion should take place at Fladen where the stock is at present under-exploited. It is likely, however, that trawl gear used in the Norway lobster (and pink shrimp) fisheries will be required to be more selective in order to reduce the by-catch of demersal fish, especially cod, and the wastage through discarding of under-sized fish. Relevant aspects of the biology of each species are described, including habitat preference, distribution, feeding, life-cycle, reproduction and spawning. Details are given about the fishing methods used, assessments of the state of stocks, and the management regime and legislation currently used to control each fishery.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report summarises the geological history of the SEA4 area from Pre-Cambrian times to the present day, sets the framework in which oil and gas fields have been discovered to the west of Shetland, and discusses the seismicity of the area. A generalised geological map of the area is presented and three approximately NW-SE trending sections across the southern part of the SEA4 area are shown. The petroleum geology of the area is reviewed and the geological settings in which oil has been found at the Clair, Foinaven, Schiehallion and Loyal oilfields is described. Other hydrocarbon fields to the west of Shetland, for which there are no immediate development plans, are briefly touched on. The seismicity of the SEA4 area, which is very low, is discussed.

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA4) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). The report identifies coastal and near-shore conservation sites within the SEA4 area which are protected by international, national and local conservation designations as well as describing the sites and reasons for their protected status. At the northern extremity of Britain, the SEA4 area combines very productive waters with spectacular and distinctive coastal scenery. The combination of rich food sources and relative lack of disturbance make it host to abundant bird populations, including rare species not found elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Among the conservation sites are sea inlets, mud and sand flats, lagoons, salt marshes, sand dunes, shingle, sea cliffs, fresh water bogs and marshes, heath, scrub and grassland.

As part of the UK Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) sectorial Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) programme a seabed survey programme (SEA2) was undertaken in May/June 2001 for areas in the central and southern North UKCS. This report summarises the sediment total hydrocarbon and aromatic data generated from the analyses of selected samples from three main study areas: area 1 (sand bank/wave study areas, Norfolk Coast), Area 2 (Dogger Bank transects) and Area 3 (South Fladen pockmark study areas of the central North Sea).

This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA5) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change). This report reviews published and newly-acquired seabed geological data in an area of 78,000 square kilometres extending from the coast to more than 200 m water depth to the east of the British Isles. While it can be argued that the modern environment is a product of past environmental conditions, the basis for the review is also that our understanding of the modern environment can be significantly improved if new techniques, data and ideas are applied to a revision of the existing research knowledge. The purpose of the review is to place the characteristics of the seabed features that were surveyed by the DTI in 2003, and the processes forming them, into an improved understanding of their historical, local and regional context. In this way a strong element of the review is to include the results from exploration and discovery. The survey data included multibeam, sidescan sonar, seismic-reflection profiles, sea floor photographs and samples.