Water Quality

The chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water.

Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water, including temperature, salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen content, and concentration of contaminants. Water quality is crucial to support the many animal and plant organisms that live in it. Marine and freshwater environments can be very sensitive to changes in water quality, especially dissolved oxygen concentration, salinity, nutrient levels, and presence of contaminants or chemicals. As offshore wind and marine renewable energy devices are placed in the water, changes in flow may occur around this new obstruction due to energy removal and may affect the distribution of these water components. While the effects of individual devices may be localized, arrays may have a greater impact on changes in water quality in the farfield environment and on ecosystem processes. Estuaries may be the most susceptible to impacts, as researchers theorize that significant energy extraction may increase vertical mixing while decreasing flushing. This may result in positive impacts such as higher concentrations of bottom water dissolved oxygen, while also negatively affecting water quality by increasing contaminants and phytoplankton production. Numerical models are often used to estimate changes in water quality, but it is difficult to quantify change in such a complex system with natural variability and climate change.

 

Affiliated Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Total results: 91
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Simulating Environmental Changes Due to Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Installations James, S., Seetho, E., Jones, C. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality
Seasonal variation of diel vertical migration of zooplankton from ADCP backscatter time series data in the Lazarev Sea, Antarctica Cisewski, B., Strass, V., Rhein, M. Journal Article Physical Environment, Water Quality, Invertebrates
Effects of Artificial Reefs (Southern Portugal) on Sediment-Water Transport of Nutrients: Importance of the Hydrodynamic Regime Falcão, M., Santos, M., Drago, T. Journal Article Changes in Flow Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality
Coastal environmental assessment and management by ecological simulation in Yeoja Bay, Korea Lee, D.I., Choi, J.M., Lee, M.O. Journal Article Marine Energy Physical Environment, Water Quality
Ecological Risk as a Tool for Evaluating the Effects of Offshore Wind Farm Construction in the North Sea Nunneri, C., Lenhart, J., Burkhard, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment, Water Quality
Temporal variability of zooplankton biomass from ADCP backscatter time series data at the Bermuda Testbed Mooring site Jiang, S., Dickey, T., Steinberg, D. Journal Article Physical Environment, Water Quality, Invertebrates
Environmental Issues of Natural Temperature Differences Utilization Gauthier, M. Book Chapter OTEC, Marine Energy Changes in Flow Water Quality, Physical Environment
Evaluation of a gradient sampling design for environmental impact assessment Ellis, J., Schneider, D. Journal Article Chemicals Physical Environment, Water Quality
The “data-rich but information-poor” syndrome in water quality monitoring Ward, R., Loftis, J., McBride, G. Journal Article Physical Environment, Water Quality
The Potential Environmental Consequences of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Plants Walsh, J. Workshop Article Marine Energy, OTEC Chemicals, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Water Quality
Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC): Social and environmental issues Lavi, A., Lavi, G. Journal Article Marine Energy, OTEC Chemicals Physical Environment, Water Quality
Displaying 81 - 91 of 91 results