• Minimise the demand for primary aggregates.
• Promote environmentally friendly extraction and transport.
• Reduce the effect of local aggregate extraction.

Marine ALSF Work In Progress meeting report

22 October 2007

The first joint WIP meeting combining the marine project portfolios of MEPF and English Heritage was held on 3 & 4 October 2007.  Presentations covered some 25 ALSF funded marine projects due to deliver by March 2008.  The 3-page summary report is available, plus the abstracts and presentations below:

• England's Historic Seascapes Programme (EH)
• ALFM Guidance Notes: i) Acquisition of Marine Geophysical Data; ii) Defining Exclusion Zones around archaeological sites (Southampton University)
• Marine Geophysics Data Acquisition and Interpretation (Southampton University)
• Overview of 2007 Regional Environmental Characterisation Studies for Thames and South Coast regions (Wessex Archaeology)
• Development of Hierarchical Classification Scheme for ground validation and accuracy assessment of data from an acoustic ground descrimination system (Sussex SFC) (pdf 1.42mb)
• Mapping Doggerland: Marine Palaeolandscapes of the Southern North Sea (Birmingham University)           
• Development of a regional sediment mobility model for submerged archaeological sites (Southampton University)
• Seabed Recovery Following Marine Aggregate Dredging (Cefas)
• Predictive framework for assessment of recoverability of marine benthic communities following cessation of aggregate extraction. Preparation of Genus Trait Handbook (MESL) (pdf 458kb)
• Development of the Marine Aggregate Extraction Risk Assessment framework (MARA) GIS (HR Wallingford)
• Marine Class Descriptions and Principles of selection in aggregate areas (Wessex Archaeology) (pdf 1.22MB)
• BMAPA/EH protocol for reporting funds of archaeological interest (Wessex Archaeology)
• Eastern Seabed Channel - processing of xyz data (BGS)
• The significance of benthic communities for higher levels in the marine food-web at aggregate dredge sites using the ecosystem approach (MESL) (pdf 1.11MB)
• Scale and impact of fishing activities in the Eastern English Channel: an initial assessment based on existing geophysical survey data (Cefas)
• Contiguous Palaeo-Landscape Reconstruction (St Andrews University)
• Seabed Prehistory - Gauging the effects of Marine Aggregate Dredging (Wessex Archaeology)
• Feasibility study for an assessment of the relative impacts from exploitation of marine and land sand and gravel (Resource Decisions Ltd.)
• Dissemination & raised awareness of the recoverability of Sabellaria spinulosa aggregations following aggregate (MESL) (pdf 1.43MB)
• Marine ALSF GIS (ABP Marine Environmental Research) (pdf 803kb)
• Marine Aggregates: Science, Industry, Stewardship and People Networks - "Explore the Sea Floor" (National Museum Wales)
• Mineral Wealth - Seabed Health phase ii - Eastern English Channel interactive (Marine Biological Association) (pdf  3.33MB)
• 'Best Use' - Maximising the value of data collected under ALSF projects and the Aggregate Dredging Industry (Cefas)
• Engaging Audiences with Marine Aggregate and Maritime Archaeology through Education (Hampshire & Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology) (pdf 9.36MB)
• Refining Areas of Maritime Archaeological Potential for Shipwrecks - AMAP 1 (Bournemouth University)

The next Marine ALSF conference is being arranged for February 2008 to disseminate the outputs from these projects.