Context

Constantly reshaped by the combined action of marine currents and swell, marine dunes are highly variable sedimentary structures. They are relatively frequent in the North Sea and the English Channel, where future offshore farms are planned. Their dynamic morphology, which can lead to scour around foundations and buried or exposure of cables, has direct implications for the design, implementation, longevity and safety of offshore renewable energy devices. A correct prediction of dune morphodynamics is therefore essential to limit damage to infrastructures and to design anti-scouring protection. In parallel, it is also necessary to understand the effects that offshore farms can have on these areas of high ecological importance.

Objective

Model marine dune dynamics at different scales to both predict the dunes impact on offshore wind farm components and understand marine dunes resiliency after the construction phase

Scientific and technical contents

• Numerical modelling of scouring and sediment transport close to offshore wind farm components
• Numerical modelling of several marine dune fields in an offshore windfarm context
• Thermal studies of a cable buried in a marine dune field
• Physical modelling of marine dunes subjected to complex hydrodynamic forcings
• Pre-study of dune ecological resiliency

Resources

Partners

This project is led by SHOM, MARUM and France Energies Marines.

The total project budget is €3,339K.

This project receives French State funding of €668K managed by the National Research Agency under the France 2030 investment plan. The project also has the financial support of the Normandy region.

Photo credit: France Energies Marines