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From 9 to 13 September 2024, the surveillance aircraft of the Institute of Natural Sciences carried out its annual Tour d’Horizon (TdH) mission to monitor the offshore oil and gas platforms in the wider North Sea region. Despite the rough weather conditions, eight contaminations were documented.

The Tour d’Horizon is carried out annually in the context of the Bonn Agreement. For this, Belgium cooperates with other countries around the central and northern North Sea, and the Belgian aircraft also visits Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian and British waters. The aircraft is flown by pilots from Defence and manned by aerial operators from the Institute of Natural Sciences.

The TdH contributions from the various North Sea countries are coordinated according to a predetermined schedule and fixed route points. This guarantees optimal coverage and monitoring of the offshore oil and gas infrastructure.

Eight pollutions

During the Belgian TdH ’24 mission, eight slicks were observed, which is significantly less than in recent years. This can mainly be attributed to the rough weather at sea, which causes any pollutions to break down naturally almost immediately.

The observed pollutions concerned six oil spills, five of which could be linked to oil rigs. One oil spill was observed without a polluter in the vicinity. This was also the only spill of significant size (with an estimated volume of more than 1 m³). The remaining two spills were linked to an oil rig, but due to time and fuel constraints it could not be visually verified whether or not it concerned oil. All detections were reported to the competent national authorities in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Bonn Agreement.

Taking international responsibility

Thanks to the many years of experience of the crew, the functionality and deployability of the surveillance aircraft, Belgium continues to meet its commitments under the Bonn Agreement. As such, the Institute of Natural Sciences continues to demonstrate its commitment to better protection of the North Sea.

From 2018 to 2022, an enthusiastic team of specialists from 11 organisations around the North Sea – including the MARECO-team of the Institute of Natural Sciences (represented by underwater noise specialist and scientific diver Alain Norro), worked on the JOMOPANS project (Joint Monitoring of Ambient Noise in the North Sea). The project was nominated for the European REGIOSTARS 2024 Awards.

The aim of JOMOPANS was to develop a framework for a fully operational joint monitoring programme for ambient noise in the North Sea, and the project effectively developed tools to incorporate the effects of ambient noise in assessments of the environmental status of the North Sea and to evaluate measures to improve the environment.

This accomplishment has received a wide recognition and finally resulted in JOMOPANS becoming a finalist in the European REGIOSTARS 2024 Awards. A great achievement in itself, as only 25 finalists were chosen from a total of 262 entries ! These were divided into five categories, for JOMOPANS this was the category ‘A Green Europe’.

On October 9, 2024, the winners were announced. JOMOPANS ultimately did not win an award, but the true prize is that the project has put the topic of underwater noise on the map and helps to generate more attention for the marine environment and the problem of underwater noise. As such, JOMOPANS has a lasting impact on European policies on the marine environment.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Français and Nederlands.

The Institute of Natural Sciences, through its Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea (MUMM), has successfully completed its ECA 2024 Border Campaign. The campaign was conducted from July 29 to August 2, 2024. This critical aerial mission aimed to monitor compliance with Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention, focusing on atmospheric pollution from ships in the Emission Control Area (ECA) along the southern border of the North Sea and in the English Channel.

During 10 flights lasting a total of over 21 hours, spread over five days, the SURV team conducted a total of 198 ship emission measurements on board the Belgian coastguard aircraft OO-MMM, equipped with an advanced airborne sniffer sensor. These measurements, focused on sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), resulted in the identification of 17 potential violations of MARPOL Annex VI regulations, which were reported to the relevant authorities for further inspection. The 17 reports concerned 15 different ships (two ships were reported twice) and related to 12 FSC (Fuel Sulphur Content) alerts and three NOx alerts. Notably, seven of the reported vessels were inspected at their next port of call, demonstrating the functional link between OO-MMM and the port state inspection services of EU countries (+ Norway and Iceland) in the maritime enforcement chain, and thus confirming the role of the Belgian coastguard aircraft as a preliminary warning system.

This mission, executed in line with Belgium’s commitments under the Bonn Agreement, highlights the ongoing regional interest and effort to monitor and reduce maritime pollution in the North Sea region. Recommendations have been made to improve future campaigns, emphasizing better coordination with France and the United Kingdom and the inclusion of NOx pollutants in Thetis-EU, an EU platform developed by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to record and exchange information on the results of individual compliance verifications carried out by Member States competent authorities under the Sulphur Directive.

Not only on land but also at sea, wind farms are becoming an increasingly important part of our gradual transition to renewable energy. On the other hand, generating wind energy at sea, like all human activities, also has consequences for the marine environment and the organisms that live there. However, at the start of the construction of the first offshore wind farms, there was little knowledge about this…

What effects do wind farms have on biodiversity in and on the seabed, in the water column and even above the water surface? Can we limit aspects of negative impact and promote positive aspects, and how? Can multiple use of space at sea (such as a combination of offshore wind farms with, for example, solar energy generation, oyster farming and also nature restoration) contribute to keeping our growing human claim on marine space within limits?

In the documentary ‘Offshore wind farms, can they coexist with nature?’ ARTE examines these questions and shows how the scientific monitoring is carried out.

In Belgium, the research and monitoring programme WinMon.BE has been investigating the ecological consequences of offshore wind farms for 15 years, right from the start of the installation of the first turbines. WinMon.BE is coordinated by the Institute of Natural Sciences and carried out in collaboration with various partners, and inspires similar programmes worldwide. Our scientists and the research vessel RV Belgica are therefore prominently featured in the ARTE documentary.

While challenges remain (such as limiting the impact on seabirds and migratory birds) and new challenges are expected (such as reducing underwater noise when larger offshore wind turbines are built in the future), the documentary makes it clear that the story of the ecological impact of offshore wind farms will never be a black and white story. We need to balance our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (to halt global warming) against the undesirable consequences these efforts may have on certain species or ecosystems. The positive insights generated by monitoring the ecological impact of offshore wind farms should be further used to better ‘build with nature’ in the future, where nature development is integrated into human projects at sea as much as possible from the design phase.

Watch the 52-minute documentary here: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/108979-000-A/offshore-wind-farms/

Sit back, relax and learn!

Sorry, this entry is only available in Français and Nederlands.

To study settlement patterns and preferences of the European flat oyster, custom-made oyster spat collectors were installed in the Belgian part of the North Sea in early June 2024. Reconciling commercial oyster cultivation with oyster restoration activities is the ultimate goal.

In early June 2024, the Institute of Natural Sciences and the Laboratory of Aquaculture and Artemia Reference Center at Ghent University have successfully deployed custom-made oyster spat collectors in a field experiment at the offshore windfarm Belwind, located 46 km off the coast of Ostend in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Additionally, one mini-tripod, equipped with a gabion holding mature European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) was deployed near the spat collectors.

The installations were carried out with the research vessel Belgica as part of the Horizon Europe funded ULTFARMS project and supported by the activities of the Institute of Natural Sciences within the European Marine Biological Resource Centre Belgium (EMBRC Belgium).

Goals

The experiment aims to advance our understanding of the settlement patterns of European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) larvae in the Belgian Part of the North Sea. It also seeks to explore the effect of habitat complexity on settlement preferences, with the ultimate goal of reconciling commercial oyster cultivation with oyster restoration activities.

By studying the settlement patterns of O. edulis, more effective conservation strategies can be created, potentially boosting oyster populations in the Belgian Part of the North Sea. After summer, the plates will be retrieved and analysed in the laboratory to evaluate oyster settlement rates and patterns. This information will provide new insights into how habitat complexity affects the settlement of European flat oysters, aiding future restoration efforts of this highly emblematic species and ecosystem engineer.

3D printing

Using state-of-the-art 3D printing technology and standardised clay plates, the spat collectors with varying levels of structural complexity were produced specifically to address ULTFARMS’ research questions.

The spat collectors are part of the Artificial Hard Substrate Garden, an offshore marine experimental facility, managed and provided by the Institute of Natural Sciences as a service of EMBRC Belgium to both the scientific community and the industry.

 

For further details, please visit the MARECO website or contact Wannes De Clercq (wdeclercq@naturalsciences.be).

EXA Infrastructure Begium has submitted an application for the authorization for the laying and an environmental permit for the exploitation of a telecommunication cable between Broadstairs – Joss Bay in the south east of England and Ostend. This application is subject to an environmental impact assessment procedure.

The application, the environmental impact statement and its annexes (concept of the appropriate assessment, non-technical summary and the report describing the effects on fisheries) can be consulted from 22 July to 28 August 2024 at the offices of MUMM at Brussels (Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels; bmm@naturalsciences.be; tel 02/627 43 52) or at Ostend (3de en 23ste Linieregimentsplein, 8400 Ostend; bmm@naturalsciences.be; tel. 059/24 20 55), by appointment only and during office hours between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. The application can also be consulted at every coastal community, during office hours.

The application is also available electronically:

• Application

1. RA23316_Vergunningsaanvraag_v3.0

• Environmental impact statement and annexes

2. RA23353_MER Q&E North_Niet technische samenvatting_v2.0

3. RA23131_MER Q&E North_v4.0

4. Externe bijlage 1_RA23288 OntwerpPB Q&E North_3.0

5. Externe bijlage 2_ILVO visserij-effectenrapport Q&E North

6. Externe bijlage 3_RA23344_Q&E North – Afvalbeheerplan_v3.0

 

Any interested party may submit its views, comments and objections to MUMM by letter or email until 12 September 2024:

MUMM

Vautierstraat 29

1000 Brussels

bmm@naturalsciences.be

The Institute of Natural Sciences and the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) recently participated in the third “Cabauw Intercomparison of UV-Vis DOAS Instruments” (CINDI-3). This campaign took place in May-June 2024 and was organized by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) at the Cabauw observatory, located between Rotterdam and Utrecht. More than 100 persons from 16 countries, with 44 instruments, were involved in the international measurement campaign, the largest of its kind in the world.

The main purpose of CINDI-3 is to test and compare different MAX-DOAS (Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) instruments that measure air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃). These instruments use a technique that analyses the spectrum of scattered sunlight to determine the presence and concentration of various gases in the atmosphere.

As part of the Belgian contribution, the aerial surveillance aircraft of the Institute of Natural Sciences was equipped with various measuring instruments in the weeks before the exercise (including the BIRA SWING imaging DOAS system), while BIRA also supplied NO₂ and O₃ in-situ measuring equipment. Together with other measuring devices near the KNMI measuring mast in Cabauw, and operated on cars and bicycles, a complete picture of the distribution of pollutants in the industrial and urban areas around Rotterdam could be compiled. The NO₂ distribution over Antwerp was also mapped from the aircraft as part of the same campaign.

All flights were carried out in synchronisation with the Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite that carries the ESA TROPOMI instrument (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument). This instrument maps various air quality and climate parameters. Thanks to the successful comparison of the observations of the measuring instruments on board the aircraft and on the ground, they can serve as a reliable reference for validating satellite instruments that measure air pollution from space.

Navy Days 2024

Mariene rapporten Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen / Rapports marins Institut des Sciences naturelles 

 

Luchttoezicht / Surveillance aérienne

NL: 30 jaar Belgisch luchttoezicht boven de Noordzee – Evolutie, trends en ontwikkelingen

FR: 30 ans de surveillance aérienne belge de la mer du Nord – Evolution, tendances et développements

EN : 30 years of Belgian North Sea aerial surveillance – Evolution, trends and developments

 

Zeezoogdieren (en andere bijzondere fauna) / Mammifères marins (et autre faune spéciale)

Rapport 2023:

NL: Zeezoogdieren en zeeschildpadden in België in 2023

FR: Mammifères marins et tortues marines en Belgique en 2023

Voorgaande  rapporten (sinds 2014) / Rapports précédents (depuis 2014) :

https://marinemammals.be/reports

 

Monitoring offshore windparken / Surveillance écologique des parcs éoliens offshore

EN : Environmental impacts of offshore wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea – Progressive insights in changing species distribution patterns informing marine management

Voorgaande  rapporten (sinds 2009) / Rapports précédents (depuis 2009)

https://odnature.naturalsciences.be/mumm/en/windfarms/