Sediment plume monitoring in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

OD Nature has a vast experience in monitoring and modelling Suspended Particulate Matter concentration in shelf areas. In the framework of the JPI-Oceans cruise with the RV Sonne in the Belgian, French and German concession zones for deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, this experience will be used to monitor sediments plumes, caused by deep-sea mning exploration activities

A large synoptic dataset of coastal in situ observations

Since the beginning of 2004 MUMM has performed a series of moorings in the Belgian Coastal Zone with a tripod or benthic lander, equipped with a series of oceanographic sensors. Current meters such as an Acous1c Doppler Profiler (ADP) and an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV), a CT-­sensor capable of measuring temperature and salinity, op1cal (OBS) and acous1c backsca\er sensors (ADP and ADV) to measure suspended sediment concentra1on, a LISST 100 suspended par1cle sizer, a passive Cetacean monitoring device (C-­PoD) and a passive sampling device for chemical monitoring have ever since been moored for more than 1750 days. From autumn 2009 a permanent coastal observatory has been installed at MOW1, located to the west of the entrance to the Zeebrugge harbor. Other mooring sites include more offshore loca1ons, such as the Kwintebank, Gootebank, MOW0 and the offshore windmill farms and a very nearshore loca1on (Blankenberge)

Impact evaluation of marine aggregate extraction through adaptive monitoring of bottom shear stress in bedform areas

Dedicated monitoring programmes are needed for the evaluation of the effects of the exploitation of non-living resources on the territorial sea and the continental shelf. Related to physical impacts, hydrodynamics and sediment transport, together with sedimentological and morphological evolution, need investigation. Overall aim is to increase process and system knowledge of both natural and exploited areas, with a particular focus on thecompliancy of extraction activities with respect to European Directives (e.g., European Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Habitat Directive). More specifically assessments are needed of changes in seafloor integrity and hydrographic conditions, two descriptors to define Good Environmental Status within Europe’sMarine Strategy Framework Directive.An important parameter is the bottom shear stress, with knowledge needed on both natural and anthropogenically induced variability. Bottom shear stress measurements are used for the validation of numerical models, necessary for impact quantification in the far field. Extensive data-model integration is critical for adequate assessments of the status of the marine environment, a prerequisite for sustainable use of living, and non-living resources

Dual-Earner Family Policies at Work for Single-Parent Families

Family dynamics are changing and single-parent families are becoming more common across countries. In their flagship report “Progress of the World’s Women, 2019–2020,” UN Women (2019) demonstrated that, contrary to popular belief, couples with children do not constitute a majority of all families, but rather there are many different types of families. Single parenthood is considered a “new social risk” in poverty and inequality (Bonoli, 2013). Therefore, policy makers and legislators have designed targeted policy specifically for single parents, such as targeted child benefits to single parents. In addition, legislation and social policy have been designed and implemented specifically for single parents, such as child support and family law such as child custody and shared residence. This study takes a different approach, based on the universalist argument that without adequate social protection that benefits all families, those families that are more vulnerable are often hit the hardest. We focus on family policies, and specifically we examine whether and to what extent single parents benefit from the same family policies that are available to all families with children

Geological resource management of the future: Drilling down the possibilities

Management of geological resources is based, ideally, on information on the quality and quantity of surface and subsurface litho-stratigraphical properties. Increasingly, these data become available for the offshore realm, though the integration into manageable and user-friendly applications is still at its infancy. Building on expertise from on-land data mining, we are now in the phase of creating 3D voxel models allowing for multi criteria resource volume calculations. The underlying data will be subdued to uncertainty modelling, a necessary step to produce data products with confidence limits. Anticipating on the dynamic nature of the marine environment, we aim at coupling the voxel model to environmental impact models to calculate resource depletion and regeneration, based on geological boundary conditions. In combination with anticipated impacts on fauna and flora, mining thresholds will be defined. All of the information is integrated into a decision support system for easy querying and online visualizations . The main aim is to provide long-term predictions on resource quantities to ensure future developments for the benefit of society and our future generations