The recent award of a three-year maintenance contract for the hydrodynamic element of the Anglian Coastal Monitoring programme means that geo-data specialist Fugro now supports the full network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes (RCMP) across England.
Fugro’s coastal oceanography team has been involved with these strategic programmes for 15 years. The network, which comprises six regional programmes, is funded by DEFRA and delivered by Lead Local Authorities. It continuously observes and records wave, current, tide and meteorological data at strategic locations around the 5,672 kilometres of English coastline.
The data are essential for managing flood risk, developing shoreline management plans, monitoring coastal processes and informing defence strategies and operational management. They are available in real time for public use on the Channel Coastal Observatory (CCO) website: www.coastalmonitoring.org.
The inclusion of the Anglian region, which is led by the Environment Agency, adds six wave monitoring buoys and four shore-based meteorological stations, increasing the number of RCMP instruments under Fugro’s management from 62 to 72.
Andrew Gowland, Senior Oceanographer at Fugro, described the comprehensive package provided by his team. “Our services include instrument maintenance, 24-hour equipment integrity monitoring and data quality checks, and response to emergency situations,” he explained. Programme management also includes implementation of new sites, a comprehensive data processing and reporting service and real-time transfer of data to the CCO website. “We ensure data returns are maximised, providing high quality, reliable datasets and capturing the full range of day-to-day and extreme weather events at key focal points around the English coast,” he added.
During its long-standing involvement with the RCMP, Fugro has also carried out bespoke surveys including a beach replenishment study in Poole Bay and oceanographic data collection to support the largest open-coast realignment scheme in Europe in Medmerry, West Sussex.
Read more about Fugro’s work with England’s Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes in Fugro World:
https://www.fugro.com/media-centre/fugro-world/article/monitoring-the-english-coastline
