Marine Environmental Services

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As our shorelines contend with rising sea levels, increased development, and a growing diversity of commercial and industrial uses, Archipelago is helping the coastal community to plan and design for tomorrow’s coastal environment.

For more than 30 years, Archipelago’s Marine Environmental Services (MES) Division has worked with government, industry, and municipal groups to balance the changing needs of our coastal communities with the unique requirements of near-shore and offshore marine habitats.

Archipelago delivers a range of services through three fundamental steps:
  1. Planning and designing coastal developments for long-term sustainability.
  2. Understanding the surrounding marine environment through surveys and directed research.
  3. Monitoring environmental change, and evaluating design performance.
Each step provides a sound foundation for the next, supporting a rational approach to the assessment and evaluation of environmental values and sensitivities and identifying constructive solutions.

Archipelago’s MES Division is widely respected for its objectivity and professionalism, and maintains a high level of trust among government regulatory agencies and industry sectors through provision of independent, credible, science-based advisor services based on proven sustainability principles.

For more information, contact Archipelago.
Coastal Planning and
Sustainable Development
Marine Environmental
Assesment
Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation


SIMS Brochure
Seabed Imaging and
Mapping System
(PDF Brochure)

Coastal Planning and Sustainable Development

Coastal planning processes represent an increasingly critical aspect of a balanced environmental-management portfolio. Archipelago offers a range of services to help identify and address sustainable-development priorities. Key coastal planning services include:
  • Coastal stewardship guidelines and resources.
  • Habitat sensitivity analysis.
  • Identification and mapping of sensitive marine areas.
  • Assistance with regional planning for coastal activities.

Habitat Assessment

Featured Projects
Marine Environmental Assessment

Archipelago conducts a range of environmental assessments based on sound biophysical and fisheries resource inventory information. Archipelago’s Marine Environmental Services group has developed a number of innovative tools (including standard classification methods for nearshore inventory), which have proven invaluable in numerous assessment and planning applications. Key environmental assessment services for nearshore and offshore development, including shoreline protection and mediation projects, include:
  • Client and agency liaison.
  • Desktop reviews.
  • Coastal habitat and species surveys, mapping and classification.
  • Remote sensing: both aerial (ShoreZone) and towed underwater video (SIMS), diver, and intertidal data collection methods.
  • Shoreline design options.
  • Marine habitat impact assessment.
  • Mitigation option development.
  • Habitat compensation plan, design and implementation.

Habitat Assessment

Featured Projects
Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation

As part of a sustainable development strategy, Archipelago can monitor the marine environment before, during, and after construction activities to help minimize disruption to nearshore marine habitat. Long-term monitoring is also available to evaluate the effectiveness of habitat mitigation and compensation strategies, or to measure long-term environmental effects (for example, to assess the impact of pulp mill and sewage outfalls, or the cumulative effects along developed coastal areas).

Environmental Assessment

The Marine Environmental Services group's knowledge of nearshore habitats and processes is key to designing effective marine monitoring programs. The group employs a variety of standard and innovative survey and sampling techniques to ensure that the specific objectives of each environmental monitoring plan are met. Key marine environmental monitoring services include:
  • Environmental management plan development and review.
  • Construction personnel liason.
  • Environmental construction monitoring, and post construction impact assessment.
  • Post-construction environmental monitoring program design and implementation.
  • Video survey monitoring, and interpretation of results.
  • Monitoring protocol development for industry (for example, finfish aquaculture).
  • Change detection studies (for example, monitoring the success of habitat compensation).

Featured Projects
For more information, contact Archipelago.