Enda Gallagher and Koen Verbruggen

What lies beneath….
The oceans of the world are probably the last great unknown frontier. Geologists have explored and mapped almost all lands, even the most remote areas of the Arctic and Antarctica. However, the majority of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and comparatively little is known about it. Ireland’s marine mapping programme, now 10 years in operation and many more in the making, is setting new standards globally in understanding the offshore territory. A whole new detailed picture of the sea floor is emerging from a combination of state-of-the-art data collection techniques including, multi-beam and side scan sonar measurements, underwater video footage and a variety of sampling operations. The discovery of cold water corals in deep Irish waters and the precise recording of hundreds of shipwrecks are just two fascinating aspects, but the seabed survey geological data are only just beginning to open a whole new world….

Seabed 10
The tenth anniversary of Ireland’s seabed mapping programme was marked in spectacular style by a two day conference in Dublin in October. The partners in the programme – GSI and the Marine Institute – organised a comprehensive conference programme covering a review of activities to date (including both the INSS and INFOMAR programmes), research based on survey data, noteworthy achievements and plans for the future.

The conference, which was held in Liberty Hall theatre, incorporated the annual "seabed seminar" which usually provides a detailed review of that particular year’s activity. As well as hosting a poster exhibition it also saw the formal launch and naming of GSI’s new inshore mapping vessel, the RV Keary at a ministerial ceremony at Poolbeg Marina, Ringsend, Dublin. The 192 delegates across the two-day conference certainly came away with a comprehensive understanding of what is one of the world’s largest seabed mapping projects.

Scientific Programme Highlights
In his speech at the naming ceremony for the RV Keary, Conor Lenihan, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, commented that he was "struck by the broad range of topics and areas being discussed." He went on to say that this "compellingly reflected how the results of the seabed mapping campaign over the last ten years have fed into so many different sectors; from safety at sea, to new territorial claims, from shipwrecks to environmental protection and from energy to research." This was an apt and succinct overview of an outstanding scientific programme.

A particular highlight of the programme, and one that was very appropriate in these economically pessimistic times, was the economic overview of INFOMAR, provided by Gareth Hetherington, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC). PWC have carried out an independent value-for-money study which has valued the benefits of the state’s marine mapping programme at €275 million. This is more than four times what will be spent completing the "INFOMAR" programme. He outlined in great detail that the benefits accrue across a range of sectors from fishing, tourism and energy, to compliance with international legislation and the research sector.

Another project presented provocatively by Dr. Colin Brown of NUI Galway was one about the investigation and protection of Irish Coral Reefs. As well as giving a broad overview of corals in Irish waters Dr. Brown was able to display a range of imagery that was literally hot-off-the press. The imagery was taken from a cruise that employed seabed survey data to locate and film for the very first time deepwater coral reefs on parts of the Rockall Bank. The survey partners - GSI, MI and the National Parks and Wildlife Service - employed the Marine Institute vessel, the Celtic Explorer and her new remotely operated vehicle, the ROV Holland. This study will assist the process of designation of new offshore Special Areas of Conservation.

The scientific programme included outstanding presentations across a wide range of additional Irish marine survey activity including a focus on the research being carried out in various Irish universities; an evaluation of where Ireland’s mapping programme fits in a European context, and how the survey data assist the fishing industry, petroleum research, in expanding Ireland’s sovereign territory, in identifying shipwrecks and in the production of official navigation charts. Staff from the INFOMAR programme also presented movie "fly-throughs" of the data and demonstrated how to access the data online. The event was wrapped up in riveting style by the Marine Institute’s CEO, Dr. Peter Heffernan. The title of his talk "Conversations on Maritime Ireland in 2020 (at SEABED 20)" provides a clue as to the strategic thrust of his musings!

Further information on the INFOMAR programme is available at www.infomar.ie. If you’re interested in a brief overview of Ireland’s marine survey story you can download a guide with this name from the news section of http://www.gsi/.

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