The growing demands on marine space for energy security and renewable infrastructure, such as offshore wind farms, are complicated by the challenges of climate change-induced hazards and the need for environmentally sustainable development. Addressing these challenges requires a holistic and interdisciplinary approach that integrates ocean and marine sciences, marine and geotechnical engineering, geomorphology, natural hazards, and environmental science. Such an approach is essential for improving our understanding of the interactions between climate change, seabed processes, infrastructure performance, and ecosystem health across the entire life cycle of offshore assets.
This session invites contributions that advance our collective capacity to plan, design and manage offshore infrastructure that is both climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable. Key themes include, but are not limited to:
• Marine geomorphology and seabed processes: characterization of seabed morphology, sediment dynamics, erosion and deposition, and their evolution in offshore environments.
• Offshore geohazards identification: mapping and assessing geohazard potential, towards a holistic geological understanding of submarine mass movement initiation and evolution, particularly landslides.
• Geohazards and infrastructure modelling, monitoring and characterization: application of state-of-the-art data science, hydroacoustic, geophysical and in-situ monitoring approaches, and development of novel physical/numerical modelling to predict initiation, development and runout of sediments and performance of offshore infrastructure.
• Climate-resilient design: novel approaches and case studies coupling engineering optimisation with ecological and geomorphological considerations for building and retrofitting critical offshore infrastructure to withstand climate-induced hazards.
We particularly encourage contributions showcasing cross-disciplinary research, including those developed within intersectoral and international consortia. By bringing together diverse perspectives, this session aims to foster a new vision for a sustainable and resilient future for the coexistence of offshore infrastructures and the marine environment.