2002 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA3 Technical report - Marine mammals, North Sea (Addendum to SEA2 report)
type: Dataset
description: This report is a contribution to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA3) conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) and is an addendum to "SEA2 Technical report 005 - An overview of plankton ecology in the North Sea" by same authors. Eight marine mammal species occur regularly over large parts the North Sea: harbour seal, grey seal, harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, white-beaked dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, killer whale and minke whale. A further 15 cetacean species and five pinniped species are reported less frequently in the region. This report describes the distribution and abundance of these mammals and their ecological importance. The harbour porpoise the most numerous marine mammal in the North Sea, with a population estimated at 268,000 in summer 1994. The northern parts of the SEA3 area are important for the three most abundant cetacean species in the North Sea: minke whale, harbour porpoise and white-beaked dolphin. Harbour seals occur widely in the SEA3 area. Marine mammals make use of sound for a variety of purposes: finding prey, detecting predators, communication and probably navigation. The offshore oil and gas industry generates underwater noise at every stage of the process: during exploration seismic surveys, drilling, production and decommissioning. The effects of these different sources of underwater noise on marine mammals are discussed. The use of explosives for underwater cutting and demolition during the decommissioning of platforms and installations may pose a serious threat to some marine mammals. The effects of pollution on seals and cetaceans are discussed, including the effects of oil spills. Large whales can be killed by being struck by ships; increased shipping traffic in an area would increase this threat.
keyword: Species distribution
issued: 2024-03-15T14:34:19.719656
modified: 2024-03-15T14:34:19.719662
spatial: Location
  geometry: {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[3.3, 52.8], [-1.9, 52.8], [-1.9, 61.8], [3.3, 61.8], [3.3, 52.8]]]}

British Geological Survey (BGS)
type: Organization

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) data portal
type: Distribution
description: The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) data portal provides free access to available data and reports which have been produced through the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change SEA process. The site is run and managed by BGS on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Many files can be downloaded directly from this website. Those that are too large to download can be ordered via the website for postal delivery from BGS.
format: HTML
access URL: http://www.bgs.ac.uk/data/sea/home.html
issued: 2024-03-15T14:34:19.721798
modified: 2024-03-15T14:34:19.714434