ALSF Research Projects
Refining Areas of Maritime Archaeological Potential for Shipwrecks – AMAP1
The project was commissioned by English Heritage in April 2007 and is funded through the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). The aim of the project is to produce an interpretative GIS layer which will provide the foundations for developing an effective planning tool for assessing the potential for unrecorded shipwreck remains on the seabed.
A methodology for characterising Areas of Maritime Archaeological Potential for Shipwrecks (AMAPS) will be developed using statistical and spatial analysis of shipwreck data to identify and interpret the relationships between known wrecks and the archaeological and environmental parameters which affect their preservation, in order to assess the potential for archaeological remains of shipwrecks to exist and survive within seabed sediments.
The project seeks to compare trends in shipwreck data with marine environmental parameters, types and frequency of hydrographic surveys, and the nature and scale of coastal marine activity, such as ports, harbours and anchorages (Fig.1). The identification of relationships between these datasets will improve the interpretation of wreck scatters and encourage a more comprehensive approach to predicting archaeological potential for unrecorded shipwrecks.
The project’s GIS output will provide a basis for developing a national dataset for Areas of Maritime Archaeological Potential (AMAPs), which will be used alongside other marine datasets for managing coastal and offshore development. The benefits will be seen through a more accurate interpretation of the potential impact of marine development initiatives on the historic environment, leading to better mitigation planning.
The project is being run as a pilot project focussing on the development of a methodology using the Eastern English Channel as a study area. The project’s concept has stemmed from the results of the ALSF-funded Navigational Hazards project which was completed by the Centre for Marine and Coastal Archaeology in February 2007 and used GIS to identify areas where a high risk to navigation coincides with a high potential for preservation. The pilot is due to be completed in February 2008.
