Study on underwater dunes completed off Dunkirk

A collaborative research and development (R&D) project DUNES has completed the studies on the underwater dunes offshore France.

Led by Shom and France Energies Marines, the project was initiated in 2019 to improve knowledge of the sedimentary and biological dynamics of dune ecosystems in the area of the future offshore wind farm off Dunkirk.

In order to determine the evolution of the underwater dunes, eight bathymetric surveys were carried out at three sites. Additionally, a current measurement study was conducted in the spring of 2021.

The initial results suggest that the dunes in the Dunkirk area are very dynamic as they moved continuously eastwards over the study period.

These movements will be anticipated to optimise the installation and manage the maintenance of offshore wind farms and their electrical connections.

To extend the work initiated within the DUNES, the collaborative R&D project MODULES will start at the end of 2021.

It will focus on the modeling of long-term interactions between underwater dunes and the components of future offshore wind farms.