COWRIE presented at the BWEA 31 conference 20-22 October 2009, Liverpool COWRIE presented at BWEA 31st Annual Conference and Exhibition in Liverpool. The BWEA annual three day conference and exhibition is an event designed by industry, packed with content. The three day conference programme welcomed speakers ranging from high-level Government representatives and stakeholders, to industry leaders and entrepreneurs to discuss developments in UK wind, wave and tidal energy, and small wind systems. BWEA31 was held at the ACC Liverpool, a landmark regeneration project on the outstanding Mersey River Waterfront next to the famous Albert Dock. The ACC is one of the most sustainable venues in Europe - it was designed to produce only half of its potential CO2 emissions. It even has its very own wind turbines. For more information visit: http://www.bwea31.com/programme.html
20-22 October 2009
Cowrie supported free workshops for primary School Students, held in March - April 2009. The events were run by the Marine Biological Association and the National Marine Aquarium. The workshops were designed by the Marine Biological Association and the National Marine Aquarium with funding from COWRIE to meet many units of the English National Curriculum for Key Stage 2 for a range of subjects, including Science, Design Technology and Citizeship. Students took part in three connected workshop sessions: Habitats Adaptation and Foodwebs. Pupils discovered which animals colonise the bases of the turbines and why! Technology. Pupils saw a miniature wind turbine working and generating electricity and discussed the need for Renweable Energy. They also designed their own weight bearing turbines to take back to school. Wind Turbines and the Environment. Pupils examined the planning process associated with responsible windfarm developments and the different issues that need to be addressed before a development can take place. The workshops were very successful with 216 pupils attending. All of the workshops were linked to free supporting teacher resources, activity sheets and a interactive seabed that can be found on the Education section of this website. /Pages/Education ·
March-April 2009
Username
Password
Welcome to offshore wind.
You have successfully signed in as a member.
COWRIE are pleased to publish the above report prepared by the Marine Biological Association. The report is a review of aspects of documenting and disseminating marine biological data. In January 2007 two separate workshops were held; one looking at marine biological data standards and the second on image and video standards. This report continues the work of these workshops in establishing guidance for best practice in documenting and disseminating marine biological data. The aim of the report is to put forward a number of ideas for discussion to facilitate more efficient and effective flow of data between contractors and data commissioners and between data providers and archive centres. Included is a brief review of current work in collating protocols, prior to looking at the key information required to document methodologies. Data requirements were reviewed by data collection methods and a checklist of essential metadata and archiving formats has been provided. Examples of data standards are provided, collated from organisations attending the original workshops. The report reviews different data formats and some minimum and recommended standards are suggested. A number of areas requiring further clarification are identified and recommendations for future work are also made. The full report can be downloaded here.
November 2008
COWRIE are pleased to announce the publication of this report, produced by SEAMARCO (Sea Mammal Research Company). This research was commissioned to help determine whether AMDs can mitigate immediate vicinity impacts of loud sounds, including the sounds produced by pile-driving for the construction of offshore wind farms.COWRIE commissioned SEAMARCO to carry out four studies on the audibility of sounds produced by three selected AMDs and their effect on the behaviour of harbour porpoises and harbour seals (playback experiments). SEAMARCO also estimated the distances at which sounds from AMDs are audible to, and elicit behavioural responses in, harbour porpoises and harbour seals.The full report can be downloaded here.The Executive Summary can be downloaded here.
August 2010
COWRIE are pleased to announce the publication of this report, produced by BioConsult SH and the Deutsches Meeresmuseum Stralsund. The report reviews methodologies for measuring and assessing potential changes in marine mammal behaviour, abundance or distribution arising from the construction, operation and decommissioning of offshore wind farms. The full report can be downloaded here.
July 2010
The results of COWRIE commissioned research 'A further review of sediment monitoring data' will be presented at the Coastal and Marine Geotechnics Conference, to be held in London, 22nd June 2010.Bill Cooper, Director of ABPmer and a report author, will be speaking on the application of seabed research work to support the delivery of Round 3 plans. He will: Outline the results of reports and review the geophysical evidence from the 9 Round 3 areasGuide the approach to assessing the potential environmental consequences of large-scale offshore wind farm developmentsMove forward the application of studies to assist decision-making, specification of baseline environmental surveys and approaches for Round 3Full conference details are available at http://www.gecoasts.co.uk/
9th June 2010
The COWRIE (Collaborative Offshore Wind Research Into the Environment) project to investigate options and opportunities for marine fisheries mitigation associated with offshore windfarms has made the Draft Final Report available for a 1-month public consultation. Anyone with an interest in windfarm and fishery interactions is now invited to comment. The report was produced by Ichthys Marine Ecological Consulting Ltd, in collaboration with an expert advisory group that included representatives from the commercial fishing industry and fisheries management bodies.Dr. Rob Blyth-Skyrme, Director of Ichthys Marine said "The overall objective of the work has been to create a list of possible mitigation options for fishermen and developers to look through when discussing any windfarm development. Essentially, we are 'trying to identify ways to help keep fishermen fishing'. We have worked hard to involve the fishing industry, as well as other stakeholders, from the start, and all the industry representatives have provided extremely helpful input." For project purposes, mitigation was taken to mean ’measures that limit the adverse effects, or enhance the positive effects, of offshore windfarms on the commercial fishing industry’. Although the options list is not considered to be comprehensive, 26 possible mitigation options were identified, across four different themes: pre-construction, habitats and target species, existing fisheries and new fisheries. While it is hoped that the report findings will prove to be a useful resource, fishermen and developers are still free to work out their own approaches to managing the impacts of individual offshore windfarm developments. The public consultation of the draft report finishes on the 6th May. Any comments should be submitted to Dr. Rob Blyth-Skyrme at rob@ichthysmarine.com. The draft report is available here.Notes:Ichthys Marine Ecological Consulting Ltd is a marine fisheries and environmental consultancy company. It works with industry and Government to promote sound management of marine resources. www.ichthysmarine.com
April 2010
There are no current tender opportunities.
© COWRIE 2008
Site Map