7.5 Existing Environment


135. The baseline physical environment of the sea bed within and adjacent to the proposed East Anglia THREE project, covering both the East Anglia THREE site and the offshore cable corridor, has been characterised in detail in Appendix 7.2.


136. The baseline physical environment of the shoreline in the vicinity of the landfall of the offshore cable corridor has been characterised in detail in Appendix 7.4.


137. This section provides an overview of the key information from the assessment of the existing physical environment.


138. Given the extensive work that has previously been undertaken to characterise the baseline physical environment across the East Anglia Zone, the approach taken in the proposed East Anglia THREE project has been to:


 


 Review existing relevant data and reports from across the East Anglia Zone;


Acquire additional data to fill any gaps, specific to the proposed East Anglia THREE project; and


Formulate a conceptual understanding of the baseline physical environment, specific to the proposed East Anglia THREE project.


139. It is important to recognise from the outset that the baseline physical environment is not static, but instead will exhibit considerable variability due to cycles or trends of natural change. These can include the short-term effects of storms and surges, the well-observed patterns in the movement of tides during spring and neap cycles and the longer term effects of sea-level rise associated with global climate change, for example.


7.5.1 Data and Information Sources 140. Considerable existing data and information has previously been collated, analysed and interpreted to inform the East Anglia ZEA (ABPmer 2012a) and the EIA of the proposed East Anglia ONE project (ABPmer 2012b).


141. Numerical modelling of waves, tidal currents and sediment plumes was also undertaken to inform the earlier ZEA and EIA studies (GL Noble Denton 2011; ABPmer 2012a; 2012b; Deltares 2012) and this information has provided useful input to characterisation of the existing environment.


Preliminary Environmental Information May 2014


East Anglia THREE Offshore Windfarm Chapter 7 Marine Geology, Oceanography and Physical Processes Page 32


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