Abstract
The German Bight is dominated by sandy and muddy sediments whilst rocky terrain is rare. The only rocky intertidal is present on the island of Helgoland. However, thousands of ship wrecks are distributed in the German Bight. Such wrecks have only recently become part of investigations into species settlement and the underwater ecosystem. During the next 30 years 5000 wind power foundations are planned to be built in the German Bight as part of the German renewable energy program. Twelve foundations are completed and 197 in progress. The knowledge of the impact such constructions have on the German Bight underwater ecosystem is poor. Prognoses are the only form of estimation. The present study was conducted at the research platform FINO 1 and different ship wrecks which are located in the German Bight.