Sand and Gravel Extraction

General Information

North Sea

Baltic Sea

Clyde Marine Region

Adriatic Sea

Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Sand and Gravel Extraction

Layer Info
Category	Activities
Sub-category	Shipping

Description

We distinguish between “sand and gravel extraction” and “dredging” for MSP Challenge purposes. We define the first as the extraction of materials for coastal protection or construction, while dredging is defined as having the purpose of maintaining navigability.

Sand and gravel extraction can occur inland but is more common at sea. Generally, sand extraction is more common than gravel extraction.

MSP Challenge

Sand & Gravel Extraction contribute to the following pressures on the ecosystem:

• Noise
• Bottom Disturbance

Return to shipping.

According to the "Noordzeeloket", organisations with a permit can extract sand and gravel seawards from -20m depth isoline. About 12 million m³ sand per year is used to maintain the coast and 13 million m³ per year as filling material onshore (Noordzeeloket, accessed on 2022/04/25).

Types

Not applicable.

Metadata

Data Source

Rijkswaterstaat data drawn by hand to incorporate in a previous version of the MSP Challenge in combination with data from the noordzeeatlas (pdf format).

Original Title

Not available.

Description

Not available.

Creation Date

Joint layer created on 2018/03.

Methodology

Updated the previously digitalized version of the layer with data from Rijkswaterstaat with data from the noordzee atlas (also drawn by hand).

Types

Not applicable.

Metadata

Data Source

HELCOM HOLAS II Dataset: Extraction of sand and gravel (2017)

Original Title

Extraction of sand and gravel

Description

"The dataset contains sand and gravel extraction activity during 2011–2015. The dataset is based on data submission by HELCOM Contacting Parties in response to data request. The dataset is quality assured and contains data from all the Baltic Sea countries. Common extraction sites with information on volume of extraction was included in the dataset. The other extraction sites (building sites, exclusive sites) had only summed data for all the sites, as volumes of extraction in specific sites was classified as confidential information. For these sites the volumes was calculated from reported sum of "other extraction areas". The amount was equally divided between corresponding extraction areas. For some common extraction sites a shared amount was reported."

Description retrieved from HELCOM's metadata page for this resource (2021-07-19).

Creation Date

2018-01-15

Methodology

Edited as to not overlap the countries' layer implemented in the platform.

Western Baltic Sea

The Sand and Gravel Extraction layer in the Western Baltic Sea Edition remains consistent with that featured in the Baltic Sea edition.

Not applicable.

This datalayer is not available on the Clyde Marine Region.

Types

None

Metadata

Data Source

Italy: tools4msp

Other countries: tools4msp-eu -GAIR

Original Title

Italy: Offshore sand deposits (requests of concession)

Other countries: Not available.

Description

Italy: "The Adriatic studied sand deposits map with two layers: a)The potentially sand resources(offhore sand deposits); b) the dredged areas already expoited (offshore sand dredged). During the last decades the increasing amount of data acquired by ISMAR CNR provides unique opportunities to summarize knowledge of geology and shelf geomorphology with existing geotechnical and geophysical data that facilitate identification of sand resources. The volume of the entire potental fine sand available reservoir outcropping in the italian portion of the adriatic shelf seafloor has been extimated in ca. 270 x106 cubic metres. The amount of dredged material used costal nourishment in Adriatic since 1996 is 9.9 x106 cubic metres."

Description retrieved from tools4msp (2023-05-15).

Other countries: Not available.

Creation Date

Italy: 2014-09-29

Other countries: Not available

Methodology

Data layer implemented as provided by project partners.

Not applicable.

This layer is not present in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.