Marine Space Research Articles

Implementation of integrated ecosystem assessments in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea—conceptualizations, practice, and progress

Abstract With increasing activities of multiple sectors in marine spaces, management of marine social–ecological systems requires more holistic approaches. Adopting such an approach, however, presents difficult institutional and disciplinary challenges. Here, we use the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) as a case study on the implementation of ecosystem-based management (EBM) and integrated ecosystem assessments (IEAs). ICES includes EBM and IEAs in its Science Priorities and established IEA Working Groups (WGs) to carry out regional IEAs. But to what degree does this IEA WG work follow best practices? We examine policy documents, academic literature, and interview data from chairs of all IEA WGs. Results indicate mixed success. All groups acknowledge the holistic goals of IEA, and many use the IEA model as laid out by Levin et al. However, we found a significant variation in the degree to which the full model is applied. We identified two primary areas for improvement: (1) integration of social and economic issues and (2) involvement of stakeholders. We offer examples of how WGs have been making progress towards full IEAs, discuss how ICES can further support this transition, and suggest lessons with respect to the adoption of EBM and IEAs more broadly.

Diving into a just transition: How are fisheries considered during the emergence of renewable energy production in Scottish waters?

Infrastructure at sea to accommodate a transition to renewable energy and meet global climate commitments is proliferating around the world. Although there is seemingly more space at sea than on land for these new developments, anticipated and existing conflict with existing marine users such as the fishing industry have raised concerns. Yet, countries around the world have committed to a just energy transition, which should avoid disproportionate impacts on specific communities. This study introduces a framework that considers three dimensions of justice at different project planning stages to analyse whether strategies to foster justice for fisheries align with remaining barriers to justice. It was used to understand how existing and planned cable and renewables projects in Scottish waters account for energy justice in relation to the fishing industry. Procedural justice aspects of project planning have improved over time, with greater involvement of the fishing industry during the siting and design of projects. However, resource constraints limited the involvement of smaller fishing fleets, indicating a barrier to recognitional justice. Distributional justice at project level was steered by decision-making at a national level, and national targets for renewable energy generation made the fishing industry feel they are not on equal footing with project developers. The findings of this study provide key insights into the multiple dimensions of energy justice and their implications for the consideration of fisheries. Identified best practices and potential barriers to a just transition can be helpful for other nations seeking to introduce new developments into their marine space.

Hydrographic open data for society

Hydrography is defined as: “The branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary purpose of safety of navigation and in support of all other marine activities, including economic development, security and defence, scientific research, and environmental protection” (Publication S-32). Due to their broad concept hydrographic data and information provide the foundational bases for marine space management, fisheries, coastal environment, policy decisions, shipping, energy and oil industry, etc. Portuguese Hydrographic Institute (IH) manages geospatial datasets from several scientific and technical domains. Data management has been on daily agenda and always has an internal priority. Facing the digital transformation tsunami and rapid evolution of society data requirements is the main driven for developing an internal sustainable open data strategy aligned with findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) principles and as open as possible. The European Open Data and Open Science strategies combined with the need to fill the ocean knowledge gaps are changing the way how data producers deal with geospatial information. This article presents several IH projects to increase sharing and reuse of hydrographic data by society.

Hybridizing research and decision-making as a path toward sustainability in marine spaces

Projecting the combined effect of management options and the evolving climate is necessary to inform shared sustainable futures for marine activities and biodiversity. However, engaging multisectoral stakeholders in biodiversity-use scenario analysis remains a challenge. Using a French Mediterranean marine protected area (MPA) as a marine social-ecological case study, we coupled codesigned visioning narratives at horizon 2050 with an ecosystem-based model. Our analysis revealed a mismatch between the stated vision endpoints at 2050 and the model prediction narrative objectives. However, the discussions that arose from the approach opened the way for previously unidentified transformative pathways. Hybridizing research and decision-making with iterative collaborative modeling frameworks can enhance adaptive management policies, leveraging pathways toward sustainability.

Evaluation method of marine spaces for the planning and exploitation of offshore wind farms in isolated territories. A two-island case study

The interest in offshore wind energy is fundamentally based in most cases on the exploitation of the high levels of wind power found in offshore areas. The evaluation of marine spaces for planning and exploitation of this type of energy source is even more important in territories with isolated and/or weak electrical systems and limited available territory. In the study developed in this paper, GIS-based techniques are applied to identify priority zones for the exploitation of offshore wind farms in the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, the two largest of the eight islands that make up the Canary Archipelago (Spain). The zones identified are prioritized and differentiated by the most viable type of wind turbine substructure technology (bottom-fixed or floating), capacity factor (in MWh/MW), and specific cost (€/MWh). The results are expressed in map form, which can form part of future energy planning processes for the islands. The resulting identified offshore priority zones comprise 375.9 and 68.2 km2, with bottom-fixed:floating surface area ratios of 1:6 and 1:21, for Gran Canaria and Tenerife, respectively. The method developed in this paper is vital for detailed energy planning, an important aspect in the optimization process of offshore wind energy integration in isolated and/or weak electrical systems.

The contribution of digital technology to improving the management of marine spaces and fishery resources

The contribution of digital technology to improving the management of marine spaces and fishery resources

A CFD-FEA Method for Hydroelastic Analysis of Floating Structures

The so-called large multi-body floating offshore structure is a new type of offshore structure with a huge and extremely flat deck area, which has a promising prospect as a floating port and also in applications in the area of marine space exploitation. Due to its unique structural form, the hydrodynamic and structural response characteristics are very complex. Specifically, due to the instantaneous position variation in the body surface, the nonlinearity of the free surface, the interactions between floating bodies, and the elastic deformation of floating bodies, the nonlinear factors are significant and cannot be neglected. For these kinds of problems, methods based on CFD-FEA (computation fluid dynamics–finite element analysis) coupling simulation have significant advantages over traditional methods. In the present paper, the hydrodynamic and structural response characteristics of a large multi-body floating offshore structure are studied using a CFD-FEA method, and the results are compared with those obtained by the potential-flow-based commercial code SESAM/WADAM, and a three-dimensional nonlinear hydroelastic analysis commercial code COMPASS-WALCS-NE. The comparison and the analysis of the results show that the CFD-FEA method presented in this study can well simulate the behavior of the hydroelastic responses of flexible floating structures and has the potential to capture complex nonlinear behaviors.

The process of establishing marine spatial planning maps in Vietnam

Creating a marine spatial planning map (MSP) guides the determination of the map's extent and scale, the map, the content of the map, the methods and techniques of mapping, and the sequence of steps performed. The process consists of 5 steps: 1) Define nature, requirements, scope, and methods, 2) Analyze and evaluate data and information, 3) Make and draw thematic maps and diagrams, 4) MSP mapping, and 5) Make a description of the MSP map. MSP maps' location, scope, and scale are established according to a 3-level system: national, regional, and local. The three-dimensional approach MSP map is integrated and synthesized from the marine functional zoning and marine space use zoning maps of the same scale. The set of MSP maps in Vietnam is divided into 3 levels: national level MSP maps with a scale of 1:1,000,000; regional MSP map, scale 1:500,000 together with MSP map of sub-regions at 1:250,000 scale; local-provincial MSP maps at the scale of 1:100,000 and in case of necessity, establish district-level MSP maps at scale 1:25,000–1:50,000. Vietnam's sea is functionally divided into 5 large marine regions, including the Gulf of Tonkin. The Gulf of Tonkin (region I) is divided into 6 functional zones, including Mong Cai - Do Son one. This area is established MSP Map at scale 1:250,000 as a reference example, showing 3 functional areas and 7 basic units using marine space.

The ‘Paper Park Index’: Evaluating Marine Protected Area effectiveness through a global study of stakeholder perceptions

Governments around the world are increasingly committed to reaching terrestrial and marine conservation goals. But achieving such commitments is challenging, and conservation targets that are reached on paper, e.g., in terms of square kilometers protected, can be misleading. Designating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) does not guarantee achieving marine conservation goals, and so-called ‘paper parks,’ i.e., MPAs that are legally designated but ineffective, are common. Little is known about the de facto protection status of the established MPAs and no studies or databases have considered local stakeholders’ knowledge. Using a one-question questionnaire, we collected data on local stakeholders’ perceptions of de facto fishing in their MPA from most of the world’s maritime countries. While the level of fishing effort was generally perceived to be higher in fully ‘take’ MPAs than in ‘no-take’ or multi-zone MPAs, we show that high levels of fishing also occur in MPAs that are fully protected according to MPAtlas and the IUCN, via a new ‘Paper Park Index’ (PPI), which allowed the identification of 55 likely ‘paper parks,’ i.e., Out of all 184 MPAs studied, 49 (27%) are classified as 'paper parks', of which 11 (35%) are in 'Latin America and the Caribbean', 17 (22%) in 'Indian Ocean', and 8 (16%) in 'Southeast Asia and Oceania' regions. The 11 MPAs with the highest PPI are listed and 10 of them are shown to have been already identified as not being very protective. These results highlight the importance of different stakeholders’ knowledge about the extent and type of marine protection. They also serve as an invitation to policy-makers, spatial planners, managers and the scientific community to consider local knowledge and encourage the participation of a wider group of stakeholders in policy-making, planning and management of marine spaces.

Charisma Work, Microstates, and the Production of Authoritative Marine Space in Oceania

I draw on fourteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in Oceania to formulate the concept of ‘charisma work’, a type of labour in which the extraordinariness of individuals and their visions for the world are (re)produced and promoted to help legitimise rational-legal power. I focus on how two Pacific Island microstates, the Cook Islands and the Republic of Kiribati, work with Conservation International, an international environmental NGO, to build networks of charismatic people in support of the world’s largest marine protected areas. I argue that an aim of charisma work in this case is to attract support and resources to meet the objectives of Pacific Island microstates caught in a double bind of balancing the right to internal sovereignty and the demands of extra-national partners and interests. Building on the work of Paul Ricoeur, I propose that rational-legal systems utilise charismatic processes to support authoritative claims while, at the same time, obscuring the egalitarian origins of institutional legitimacy.

Anglers' support for an offshore wind farm: Fishing effects or clean energy symbolism

Rapid expansion of offshore wind energy will have impacts on existing users of marine space, including recreational angling. Because angling has significant economic and cultural significance in ocean and coastal areas, and managers increasingly employ new approaches to manage conflicts between fishing and other uses, it is critical to understand the perspectives of this interest group regarding development of offshore wind energy. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study examines the attitudes of anglers towards the Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind energy development constructed in the United States. Supported by qualitative interviews, a quantitative survey of 199 anglers from Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts reveals moderate support for the wind farm. Experience fishing at the wind farm is associated with more positive beliefs regarding the development’s effects on catch-related aspects of fishing; however, beliefs about catch-related effects are not as strong predictors of support as non-catch factors (specifically, visual impacts). Moreover, belief that the wind farm is “symbolic of progress towards clean energy” has the greatest total impact on support and effects of the wind farm, indicating that underlying values and ideologies may have greater influence on angler’s attitudes towards offshore wind projects than effects on the fishing experience. Greater research is needed to understand how general characteristics of anglers affect their attitudes towards offshore renewable energy and other marine governance decisions. Managers must also facilitate greater participation of anglers in offshore wind energy decision-making.

Cooperative Path Tracking for Swarm of MASSs Based on Consensus Theory

At present, marine autonomous surface ships (MASSs) play a huge role in marine shipping, surveying and mapping, safeguarding the rights and interests of marine space, and other maritime tasks. The cooperative operation of a swarm of MASSs can extend the scope of operation of the MASSs, and thus allow them to carry out more complex tasks. Path tracking is an important problem for the control of a swarm of MASSs. In this paper, the control of underactuated MASSs is decoupled, to control the heading and speed, respectively. First of all, in the path tracking, the improved arc LOS guidance law is introduced, and the heading torque controller is designed, so that the MASS can track the reference path efficiently and accurately. Then the single-path guided path tracking without formation of the swarm of MASSs is studied, the reference path of the swarm center tracking is defined, and the heave thrust controller of the swarm of MASSs is designed based on consensus theory, so that the surge velocity of the MASS can tend towards consistentcy, and finally converge to the desired speed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is verified by two groups of simulation experiments.

What do we talk about when we talk about integration: towards a differentiated view on integration and fragmentation in coastal and marine spatial planning

Bob Dylan once sang that he contained multitudes. So too does integration. More integrated planning of coasts and oceans has long been hailed as a goal and is seen as a pathway towards a more legitimate, cost-effective, equitable and sustainable planning of marine space. However, a reading of the literature indicates that many integration efforts have seemingly failed to reach their potential, and there is no clear understanding of what integration means or how we should best go about achieving it.The paper claims that this uncertainty partially stems from a unnuanced and static treatment of the concept, and a lack of recognition of the multitudes of integration. The paper argues firstly that fragmentation should not uncritically be seen as the antithesis to integration and as a negative property to be avoided. Secondly, there needs to be greater recognition of both the varying degrees of integration and the contextually dependent necessity of different degrees of integration. Lastly, it is more fruitful to see the multitude of nodes in the expanding ‘network of planning’ not as fragmentation, but as differentiation. Such an approach allows us to see integration as a mean towards more sustainable planning of coastal and marine areas, not end in and of itself.

Advances in cumulative effects assessment and application in marine and coastal management

Abstract Quantifying and managing the cumulative effects of human activities on coastal and marine environments is among the foremost challenges in enabling sustainable development in the twenty-first century. As the speed with which these environments are changing increases, there is greater impetus to resolve the evident problems facing governance systems responsible for managing cumulative impacts. Policymakers and regulators recognise the need to assess and manage cumulative effects, as evidenced by widespread legislation requiring cumulative effects assessment (CEA). Yet there is ample evidence that we are not turning the tide in terms of balancing good environmental health with increasing demands of already degraded coastal and marine spaces that are increasingly impacted by climate change. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding scientific and practical advances in CEA, assesses whether these advances are being applied in decision-making and identifies where challenges to implementation exist. Priority research questions are formulated to accelerate the inclusion of effective CEA in marine and coastal planning and management.

Les batailles navales dans les Perses d’Eschyle et au Chant VIII de l’Énéide de Virgile : les ambiguïtés du κλέος en mer

With the study of the first two poetic naval battle tales that have come down to us, we see the essential ambiguity of the marine space as a hero’s factory. If in the Persians, Aeschylus develops from Iliadic material a collective heroism corresponding to the values of the Greek city, the summoning of Odyssian elements alters the image of the fighters. In the Aeneid, we find motifs created by Aeschylus and Homer, which help to make war at sea sacrilegious, so that the winner of the battle, Augustus, is elided in favor of a pathetic vision of the vanquished.

Research on the Cultivation Path of High School Geographic Resource Security Consciousness—Taking “Marine Space Resource Security” as an Example

Research on the Cultivation Path of High School Geographic Resource Security Consciousness—Taking “Marine Space Resource Security” as an Example

A Case Study on the Need for Diagnosis of Current Issues and Policy Support in Marine Space: Focusing on the Specialized Marine Industry in Incheon

A Case Study on the Need for Diagnosis of Current Issues and Policy Support in Marine Space: Focusing on the Specialized Marine Industry in Incheon

Development of a computable general equilibrium model based on integrated macroeconomic framework for ocean multi-use between offshore wind farms and fishing activities in Scotland

The rapid development of offshore wind farms (OWFs) has raised concerns about the increasing conflicts and synergies with existing marine activities, especially the traditional fishery industry, from socioeconomic and environmental perspectives. Quantifying the conflicts and synergies require frameworks that can consider environment and economic systems simultaneously. This study builds on and extends a well-established computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to incorporate a natural capital and ecosystem service into the modelling framework, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the two-way interactions between the economy and natural environment. Our results suggest that expansion of OWFs has significant negative impacts on the seafood sectors, whereas fish stocks benefit slightly as fewer fish are harvested. Moreover, the increase in fish stocks due to the closed areas and artificial reef effect could bring benefits to the fishing sector, and pass onto the wider economy. The combined impacts of expansion of OWFs and increased fish stock demonstrate the potential benefits of multi-use of marine spaces by the OWFs and fishing activities. This modelling approach provides an illustration of the potential and importance of incorporating natural capital into CGE models in practice, which could be used for policy making regarding marine renewable energy and sustainable development planning in the marine environment.

Land-Sea Interactions in Realisation of Ecosystem Approach in the Marine Spatial Planning in the Baltic Sea Region – Polish Perspective

Maritime spatial planning has become on of the fundamental instruments of managing human activity at the sea. It is mostly due to the rising competition for marine space, which is a consequence of rising number and variety of uses of the sea. Among the principles of marine spatial planning ecosystem approach as well as the taking into account the interaction between land and sea seem to play the most important role. First one is more general and axiological in it’s nature, while the second functions more as technical guide for planners. Together they can be called guiding principles of marine spatial planning. Ecosystem approach is a concept closely related to ecosystem services. It’s main aim is to sustain the productivity of ecosystems in the field of ecosystem services, what is often connotated with the health of the marine ecosystem. Multiple correlations between land and sea can be easily seen in the managerial goals of the marine ecosystem. Trophic relations seems to be reflected in legal regulations, but the question remains if the marine spatial planning regime really reflects the interactions between land and the sea.

A geoportal of data and tools for supporting Maritime Spatial Planning in the Adriatic-Ionian Region

The multiple anthropogenic threats to marine ecosystems and the increasing spatial conflicts in the Adriatic-Ionian Region (AIR) require transnational, integrated and efficient planning of coastal and marine spaces at macro-regional level. This research presents the Geoportal of the Adriatic-Ionian Region (GAIR), a common platform for information, data and decision support tools for ocean planning in the Adriatic-Ionian sea space. The GAIR is an open source platform; it supports co-production of MSP-relevant knowledge based on 12 databases, portals and tools developed within a set of European projects supporting the implementation of the European Strategy for the AIR (EUSAIR). The study presents the GAIR's software architecture, its technological stack and the seven integrated geospatial tools. A case study of the tool presents its user workflow and main outputs. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the GAIR with respect to MSP, Sustainable Blue Economy and the implementation of the EUSAIR Action Plan.