Decision permitting construction of the measurement pond at the IBW PAN coastal laboratory

On 12 April 2023, by decision of the Pomeranian Province Governor, we obtained, on behalf of the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences, planning permission to construct a measurement pond at the IBW PAN Coastal Marine Laboratory.

The designed facility will serve as a marine research platform, enabling year-round measurements of meteorological and hydrodynamic parameters in the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. The structure will be equipped, amongst other things, with instruments for observing wave action, changes in water level, atmospheric conditions and processes occurring on the seabed.

The platform has been designed as a spatial structure supported by four steel tubular piles. The piles will be connected by bracing made of C-sections on two levels, which will ensure the structure’s adequate rigidity and its resistance to hydrodynamic forces, wave action and ice-related phenomena. The overall dimensions of the structure are approximately 3.0 × 3.0 m.

Two working platforms made of steel grating will be installed on the structure’s bracing. Access to them will be provided by a steel ladder fitted with safety rims. Both platforms will be secured with safety railings 1.10 m high.

The upper platform will feature a mast approximately 2.5 m high and two posts intended for the installation of a wind turbine and a navigation light. The final height of the support elements will be adjusted to suit the selected measuring equipment.

The station will be equipped with an independent power supply system, comprising photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine and two batteries. This solution will enable the research equipment and the data transmission system to operate autonomously.

The measurement and research equipment will include, amongst other things:

• a marine weather station measuring air temperature and humidity, atmospheric pressure, precipitation, sunshine duration, and wind speed and direction;
• a wave probe;
• an echo sounder;
• an ultrasonic water level sensor;
• a pressure sensor;
• fixed and mobile cameras;
• a system for transmitting measurement data and images;
• a navigation light.

The proposed station will enable long-term, automated observations of the marine environment. The data collected will be usable in research into coastal processes, analyses of wave action and seabed changes, as well as in the development and verification of models used in the design of hydrotechnical structures.