ABSTRACT
The nearshore marine environment has long been utilized as a source for materials. For centuries, beaches and nearshore areas were mined for gold (Au), tin (Sn), diamonds, sand and gravel (Scott, 2007). As mining and shipping technologies improved, exploration and development radiated seaward onto the continental shelves. Offshore oil drilling was pioneered in the 1930s in the Gulf of Mexico while the first offshore windfarm was established in Denmark in the 1990s. Currently, one third of the world’s petroleum is produced from continental shelves. This output is likely to continue to increase as sea ice retreats in the polar regions, opening up new areas for exploration and development.
