Short Science Summary 2024: Changes in Oceanographic Systems

Physical processes such as tides, waves, and ocean currents shape the marine ecosystem through the mixing of water masses and exchange of dissolved gases and nutrients, providing support for marine organisms and habitats. Marine renewable energy (MRE) devices that harness energy from tides, waves, and ocean currents may affect these oceanographic systems. Potential changes include altered water flow patterns around devices, changes in circulation, decreased wave heights, and energy removal from the system, both in the nearfield (close to the device) and farfield (at the scale of a water body). These potential changes can affect organisms and habitats through secondary effects such as sediment transport, water quality changes, nutrient availability, and effects on coastlines either by erosion or coastal protection. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), another form of MRE, also has the potential to affect oceanographic systems. OTEC uses the temperature differential between warm tropical surface water and cold deep ocean water to create energy; this process returns large volumes of cold water to the surface, which can cause temperature shock to organisms and potentially destabilize the localized water column.

This short science summary for Changes in Oceanographic Systems was developed based on the OES-Environmental 2024 State of the Science Report: Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Development Around the World, specifically Chapter 3: Marine Renewable Energy: Stressor-Receptor Interactions.

Title	Author	Date Sort ascending	Content Type	Technology	Stressor	Receptor
Silt-Proof Measures: Following Analysis of Data Measured out of Baishakou Tidal Power Station, Measures were Proposed to Control Sediment in the Reservoir	Yunchen, L.	February 2004	Magazine Article	Tidal, Marine Energy	Changes in Flow	Physical Environment
Survival Estimates for Juvenile Fish Subjected to a Laboratory-Generated Shear Environment	Neitzel, D., Dauble, D., Cada, G., Richmond, M., Guensch, G., Mueller, R., Abernethy, C., Amidan, B.	January 2004	Journal Article	Marine Energy	Changes in Flow, Collision	Fish, Pelagic Fish
Identifying the Effects on Fish of Changes In Water Pressure during Turbine Passage	Becker, J., Abernethy, C., Dauble, D.	September 2003	Magazine Article	Riverine, Marine Energy	Changes in Flow	Fish
Evaluation of the Effects of Turbulence on the Behaviour of Migratory Fish	Odeh, M., Noreika, J., Haro, A., Maynard, A., Castro-Santos, T., Cada, G.	March 2002	Report	Riverine, Marine Energy	Changes in Flow	Fish
Wake Effects in Tidal Current Turbine Farms	Macleod, A., Barnes, S., Rados, K., Bryden, I.	January 2002	Conference Paper	Marine Energy, Tidal	Changes in Flow	Physical Environment
The Practice of Comprehensive Silt Proof Measures in Tide Power Stations	Liu, X., Fagong, L.	September 2001	Report	Tidal, Marine Energy	Changes in Flow	Sediment Transport, Physical Environment
Laboratory Studies on the Effects of Shear on Fish	Nietzel, D., Richmond, M., Dauble, D., Mueller, R., Moursund, R., Abernethy, C., Guensch, G., Cada, G.	September 2000	Report	Marine Energy, Riverine	Changes in Flow	Fish, Pelagic Fish
Changes in Area, Geomorphology and Sediment Nature of Salt Marshes in the Oosterschelde Estuary (SW Netherlands) Due to Tidal Changes	de Jong, D., de Jong, Z., Mulder, J.	May 1994	Journal Article	Marine Energy, Tidal	Changes in Flow	Physical Environment
Tidal Power and the Aquatic Environment of La Rance	Retiere, C.	January 1994	Journal Article	Tidal, Marine Energy	Changes in Flow	Ecosystem Processes
Intertidal Ecology and Potential Power Impacts, Bay of Fundy, Canada	Gordon, D. Jr.	January 1994	Journal Article	Marine Energy, Tidal	Changes in Flow	Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
Potential Environmental Impacts of Closed-Cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion	Quinby-Hunt, M., Sloan, D., Wilde, P.	June 1987	Journal Article	OTEC, Marine Energy	Chemicals, Changes in Flow
Evaluation on Geomorphological Conditions of Site of the BaiShakou Tidal Power Station	Liu, Z., Wang, Y. , Han, S. , Xia, D. , Xu, X.	March 1987	Report	Marine Energy, Tidal	Changes in Flow	Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
The Annapolis Tidal Power Project Head Pond Water Levels - Impacts and Mitigations	Rice, R.	September 1984	Report	Tidal, Marine Energy	Changes in Flow	Physical Environment