DOI: 10.14466/CefasDataHub.131

Description

The dataset contains data related to registered offshore sediment disposal sites around the UK coast and includes volumes of disposed material, dredged areas, calculated levels of contaminants in the disposal material and licence details. Data were collated for the years 2000 to 2020. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) on behalf of Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra), report these data for the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man, annually as a UK obligation under both the London Convention/London Protocol on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (LCLP) and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR). The dataset was created by combining the regulatory data collected around the UK, including England and the Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and Isle of Man devolved administrations, with quality assurance and calculations of contaminant loads carried out by Cefas. Regulatory data includes disposal returns submitted to individual regulatory bodies by the licence holders, supplemented by chemical and physical analyses data of samples taken to characterise the disposed material. This information is provided annually to Cefas by the individual bodies. Cefas then collates the various returns datasets and carries out quality assurance. Cefas also calculates the contaminant loads from the sample analysis data, and scales up to individual sites to estimate how much contaminant has been disposed of. Reports produced by Cefas with the finalised data are submitted to LCLP and OSPAR secretariats on behalf of Defra. The spatial extents of the licensed disposal sites are described by the following published metadata https://data.cefas.co.uk/view/407. Disposal volumes are measured using on board volume calculations and reported to the Regulator(s) annually. Contaminant information is measured in samples using established techniques for marine sediment (see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/marine-licensing-sediment-analysis-and-sample-plans for example) and are then weighted by dredged area proportions and scaled up to the disposal volume.

Contributors

Cefas / Marine Management Organisation / Natural Resources Wales / Marine Scotland / Department of Agriculture / Environment and Rural Affairs / Isle of Man Government / Government of Jersey / Government of Guernsey

Subject

Anthropogenic contamination / Quantity of material dumped / Dredging & disposal

Start Date

01/01/2000

End Date

01/01/2020

Year Published

2022

Version

1

Citation

Cefas et al (2022). Volumes, dredged area measurements and estimated contaminants of material disposed at licensed offshore sites around the UK coast from 2000 to 2020. Cefas, UK. V1. doi: https://doi.org/10.14466/CefasDataHub.131

Rights List

Open Government Licence

DOI

10.14466/CefasDataHub.131