CV17014 INFOMAR Seabed Survey

The INtegrated Mapping FOr the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s MArine Resource (INFOMAR) programme is a joint venture between the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the Marine Institute (MI). The programme is a successor to the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) and concentrates on creating a range of integrated mapping products of the physical, chemical and biological features of the seabed in the near-shore area. This 21 day survey took place on board the RV Celtic Voyager in 2017 from 17th April to 01st May in the Celtic Sea, offshore from Waterford and Wexford. Surveys undertaken include: Multibeam Echo Sounder (MBES) hydrographic survey to International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) Order 1a standard. Bathymetry survey: to produce bathymetry shaded relief and backscatter mosaic products which provide depth, seabed features and seabed hardness information. Sub Bottom Profiler (SBP) survey: to aquire data of the shallow (up to 30 metres) sub seabed to determine the existence of buried objects and ascertain the sub-seabed character. A magnetometer was used to acquire data on sub seabed geology to provide information on manmade seafloor debris. Shipwrecks were also surveyed. No groundtruthing took place. An area of 708km2 was covered during this survey. Mapping Ireland's seabed mapping resource.