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Mapping Deep-Sea Drilling Impacts
<p>By rapidly generating accurate and compelling images of the seafloor before, during, and after drilling, SPI technology and our scientists’ expert knowledge go beyond due diligence in assessing the health of the seafloor. Through SPI and PV images we can quickly identify and quantify the extent and impacts of any drilling discharges on the bottom as well as document the recovery of the benthic community following the initial impact from discharge.</p>
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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
<p>In the spring of 2010 the Macondo wellhead blowout resulted in the tragic loss of 11 lives and the catastrophic release of more than 5 million barrels of crude oil and natural gas into the Gulf of Mexico. The impacts on coastal ecosystems, fish, birds, and mammals is well-documented.</p>
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Dynamic Sediment Assessment
<p>In support of a remedial investigation at Pier 39 in San Francisco Bay, INSPIRE Environmental conducted a sediment profile and plan view imaging (SPI/PV) survey at 100 stations around Pier 39 and adjacent piers. These stations were strategically located to sample all possible physical disturbance regimes and an area representative of annual dredging. The results of this survey were used to evaluate benthic habitat conditions and to identify locations subject to physical disturbance.</p>
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Innovating In Fisheries Surveys
<p>Deepwater Wind and BOEM solicited an Atlantic cod spawning survey to support a new commercial wind farm offshore of southern New England with export cables reaching as far as Long Island. Rocky hardbottom geomorphology precluded the use of bottom trawls for traditional large-scale surveys, and sparse data on Atlantic cod spawning in the work area necessitated coordination with multiple federal and state agencies.</p>
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Mapping Seafood Waste Impacts
<p>Effective remediation of seafood processing waste – making actual, measured progress on ecological restoration – relies on comprehensive monitoring of seafloor ecology. INSPIRE combines SPI and PV imaging with high-resolution multibeam data, hydrodynamic studies, water quality testing, sediment cores, and towed video and video probe imaging to assess the extent and impact of seafood processing waste on the environment. INSPIRE has almost a decade of experience supporting clients in seafood waste remediation and providing them cost-effective measures to secure a healthy seafloor.</p>
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Remediation Site Monitoring
<p>INSPIRE founders and staff have more than 30 years of experience monitoring and assessing dredged material disposal sites. Integrated SPI and bathymetric visualizations help us monitor the placement of dredged material, precisely measure the thickness of sediment caps, and trace the biological recovery of sites after placement. Our staff are experienced interpreters of the presence and condition of dredged material, using Sediment Profiling to document ecological baselines and conduct forensic exercises that trace sediments to confirm disposal events.</p>
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Refined Harbor Sediment Assessment
<p>INSPIRE scientists used SPI imagery to help explain how sediment transport processes for a harbor interact with chemical hotspots as part of site risk assessment. We provided these data as well as a decision-making framework to identify areas within the harbor that might present unacceptable risk to ecological receptors or human communities.</p>
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Monitoring Marine Dredged Materials
<p>INSPIRE Environmental specializes in dredged material management, integrating the 30 years of experience and resources of CoastalVision and Germano & Associates to support management of dredged material assessment and placement. In this integrated image, the combination of a high-resolution acoustic survey (bathymetry and backscatter) and sediment profile imaging provides a clear representation of the condition of recently placed dredged material.</p>
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The Nation’s First Offshore Wind Farm
<p>INSPIRE scientists have worked side-by-side with Deepwater Wind (now Ørsted) to address the environmental challenges associated with permitting the nation’s first offshore wind farm since the project’s inception. With operation beginning on December 12, 2016, the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) is the first offshore wind farm in the United States.</p>
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Creating Baselines for Oil and Gas
<p>Supporting ERM, INSPIRE generated a cost-effective documented baseline to which successive surveys can be accurately compared. The physical, biological, and geological conditions of surficial sediments were easily communicated with SPI imagery and INSPIRE's visualization tools.</p>
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Mapping Milford Haven Waterway
<p>A detailed habitat map of the Milford Haven Waterway (MHW) and benthic impact assessment was compiled for the Milford Haven Waterway Environmental Surveillance Group (MHWESG) from seafloor images collected in May 2012 using sediment profile and plan view imaging (SPI and PV) survey techniques. This is the most comprehensive synoptic assessment of sediment distribution and benthic habitat composition available for the MHW, with 559 stations covering over 40 square kilometers of subtidal habitats. In the context of the MHW, an interpretative framework was developed that classified each station within a ‘facies’ that included information on the location within the waterway and inferred sedimentary and biological processes that will serve as a valuable resource management tool for the future.</p>
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