A three-year collaboration between the British Geological Survey and The Crown Estate will produce national-scale seabed and shallow-subsurface datasets to inform offshore development, infrastructure planning and environmental management.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) is leading Seabed Geoscience for Marine Planning (Seabed GeoMaP), a project funded by The Crown Estate to improve geological understanding across the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).
The project will develop datasets and reports covering seabed geomorphology, Quaternary sediment thickness, sediment variability, submarine landslides and the likelihood of seabed change. BGS scientists will combine existing geological information and marine survey data with new analytical techniques to build a consistent picture of seabed conditions and shallow geology.
The resulting evidence is intended to support early-stage planning across several sectors, including offshore renewables, subsea linear infrastructure and environmental management. Better knowledge of seabed characteristics and potential geological hazards can help developers and planners assess opportunities and risks before projects move into detailed design and survey.
Seabed GeoMaP will also inform The Crown Estate’s Marine Delivery Routemap, a digital tool intended to model potential uses and opportunities for the seabed and coastline around England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the coming decades. The Routemap is due to launch in 2027.
The project’s themes were shaped by consultation with the marine community in 2024, which received more than 80 responses from 60 organisations. Once complete, the datasets will be available through The Crown Estate’s Marine Data Exchange and the BGS GeoIndex.
