R&D highlights edition 2019

Water and subsoil resources 37 R&D Highlights 2019 T he North Sea is already used intensively by shipping, for fishing and for sand extraction for coastal defences. Use is destined to intensify further in the future with, for example, the construction of large-scale wind farms and initiatives for large-scale food cultivation. In addition, sea level rise means that more sand may be needed for coastal defences. A more detailed picture is therefore now needed of the subsurface of the North Sea. Rijkswaterstaat - the Dutch authority responsible for the design, construction, management and maintenance of the main infrastructure facilities in the Netherlands - needs millions of cubic metres of sand every year to maintain the Dutch coast and protect it from the coastal erosion caused by major storms. In addition, sand is also needed for infrastructure projects. Most of this sand comes from the seabed. An understanding of the geology of the North Sea bed helps us to identify sand extraction areas that are suitable for use in the future. Deltares is collaborating with various partners for Rijkswaterstaat on mapping the geology of the North Sea bed for the purposes of sand extraction. By drawing on geological and geophysical knowledge and with the aid of measurements in the field (seismic and drilling) and the lab (core description and analyses), valuable data are being collected about the quality of the sand, the silt fraction, the presence of clay, peat, rocks and archaeological sites. The data obtained is being entered in an aggregate information model (DIS) developed by Deltares and TNO which provides a picture of where sand is present and of the sand quality. This information can be used to determine policy about which areas need to be put aside for sand extraction and to learn more about the quantity and quality of the available sand, now and in the future. Contact: Marco de Kleine, Marco.deKleine@deltares.nl Tommer Vermaas, Tommer.Vermaas@deltares.nl TREASURES OF THE NORTH SEA Use of the North Sea is becoming increasingly intensive. Spatial planning for the North Sea bed is needed to earmark suitable sand extraction areas for use in the future. This implies that geological information is needed about the subsurface that combines geophysical and geological knowledge. Example of a DIS-based map indicating the thickness of available sand From seismic data to information. Example of a high-resolution photograph of a core