Knowledge gained from marine environmental monitoring during dredging at Barrow Island
Craig Styan A , Travis Elsdon B , Michael Marnane C , Michelle Carey D , Ceri Morgan D , Tony Rouphael D and Paul de Lestang DA University College London [Australia].
B CQG Consulting.
C Chevron Energy Technology Company.
D Chevron Australia.
The APPEA Journal 53(2) 478-478 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ12089
Published: 2013
Abstract
Monitoring required by regulators as part of environmental approvals in Australia has become increasingly complex and is sometimes viewed simply as the cost of developing projects, particularly in recent years. Monitoring programs, however, provide an important opportunity to learn about complex ecological systems and how they fare during large-scale disturbances, potentially with both project-specific and industry-wide benefits.
During the Chevron-operated Gorgon Project’s major-capital dredging program, an unprecedented amount of information was collected about water quality and coral. Water quality was monitored continuously at 36 sites and the condition of nearly 1,600 individually labelled corals measured fortnightly during 18 months. While daily and fortnightly reports were provided for compliance purposes, a significant investment was also made by Chevron to a Predictive Links investigation, to re-analyse data to gain a better understanding between water quality and sedimentation with changes in coral condition.
This additional investment resulted in a number of important research findings including revised water-quality thresholds for maintaining coral health that are based uniquely on field measurements during an actual dredging program. Subsequently, when environmental approvals were being sought for the nearby Wheatstone project, Chevron had a much better understanding of dredging and its potential effects on coral reefs in the region.
The Wheatstone program now incorporates these data and ideas, and has allowed Chevron to have greater confidence in the dredging program being proposed, the likely impacts on coral assemblages, and how these should be managed and monitored.
Dr Craig Styan is a marine ecologist and senior lecturer at University College London, Australia, where his research is focused on impact assessment and environmental monitoring. Craig worked as an environmental consultant during the Gorgon project, helping design and plan monitoring programs and then as a scientific coordinator during dredging. |
Travis has a PhD (marine ecology) and a broad research background in fish and habitat ecology, water quality, and water chemistry. He worked as a consultant at Sinclair Knight Merz specialising in providing advice on ports and dredge monitoring, as well as broader marine ecological impacts. He ran the Predictive Links component of the Gorgon marine monitoring program and provided advice on water-quality criteria for Wheatstone upstream and downstream dredging. |
Michael Marnane is a marine ecologist with Chevron’s Energy Technology Company. He has been involved in developing management and monitoring programs for numerous major capital-dredging projects in northwestern Australia and collaborated in the development of management triggers and procedures for the Wheatstone dredging campaign. |
Michelle Carey is a coastal engineer and marine scientist with Chevron Australia. She was a technical advisor during the Gorgon Marine Monitoring Program, managing monitoring scopes, reviewing technical data and reports, and liaising with expert panels and regulators. |
Ceri Morgan is the lead marine environmental adviser for the Wheatstone LNG Project. He was responsible for leading the marine environmental assessment for the Wheatstone dredging campaign. He was instrumental in the adoption of non-diving technology for coral monitoring during Wheatstone and the application of Gorgon WQ data for use in the development of WQ triggers for Wheatstone. |
Tony is a marine ecologist working on the Chevron Wheatstone dredge project, Western Australia. He is assisting with the marine scope for the dredge environmental monitoring and management programmes. |
Paul de Lestang is a marine ecologist with Chevron Australia and has a background in dredging and marine seismic environmental impact assessment. He was Chevron’s senior technical advisor for the reactive-management monitoring program undertaken as part of the Gorgon dredging and spoil disposal activities. |
