Short Science Summary: Offshore Wind Farms as Stepping Stones for Non-indigenous Species

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One of the most important effects of offshore wind farms is the unintentional provision of a new habitat which invariably is rapidly colonized by hard substrate species. Turbine foundations provide hard vertical substrates and, depending on the structure and scour protection used, varying degrees of habitat complexity. These novel surfaces span the full water column from the splash zone to the seafloor, often in areas where comparable natural hard surfaces are absent. Non-indigenous species (NIS) are species that did not occur in a particular geographic region, such as the North Sea, prior to a certain date (e.g., the beginning of the 17th century). They consist of species introduced by human activities outside their natural past or present range (introduced species), and species that spread by their own means (range expanding species) due to rising temperatures or other factors. As ocean sprawl in shallow and coastal waters has favored NIS, there is concern that increasing development of offshore wind farms will accelerate this phenomenon. This summary represents a general overview of the research, produced by WREN under IEA Wind. 

The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document and will continue to be updated as new literature is added to Tethys.

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Towards holistic, participative and adaptable governance for offshore wind farm decommissioning Jurrius, L., van Hoof, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Large offshore wind farms have minimal direct impacts on air quality Golbazi, M., Archer, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Climate Change
Acoustic telemetry suggests the lesser spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula stays and uses habitats within a French offshore wind farm Labourgade, P., Couturier, L., Bourjea, J., Woillez, M., Feunteun, E., Reubens, J., Trancart, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish
Ecological design of scour protection for offshore wind power Junquera Barbazán, P., Sudjada, S. Thesis Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Physical Environment
Avoidance & Minimisation of Environmental Impacts from Offshore Wind & Grid Infrastructure Offshore Coalition For Energy & Nature (OCEaN) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning, Stakeholder Engagement
Life on every stone: Characterizing benthic communities from scour protection layers of offshore wind farms in the southern North Sea Zupan, M., Coolen, J., Mavraki, N., Degraer, S., Moens, T., Kerckhof, F., López, L., Vanaverbeke, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
NMFS West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Science Plan National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Options for biodiversity-friendly designs and approaches for offshore wind farms in Ireland BlueWise Marine Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Frequently Asked Questions: Offshore Wind and Whales Whale Communications Committee, Biodiversity Research Institute Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Displacement, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Commercial Wind Lease Issuance on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf, Offshore Oregon Final Environmental Assessment Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), US Army Corps of Engineers, US Coast Guard, Elk Valley Rancheria Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Beneath the blades: Marine wind farms support parts of local biodiversity - a systematic review Knorrn, A., Teder, T., Kaasik, A., Kreitsberg, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates
A comprehensive review on scour and scour protections for complex bottom-fixed offshore and marine renewable energy foundations Chambel, J., Fazeres-Ferradosa, T., Miranda, F., Bento, A., Taveira-Pinto, F., Lomonaco, P. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
Realizing the Potential of eDNA Biodiversity Monitoring Tools in the Marine Environment with Application to Offshore Renewable Energy Sepulveda, A., Morrison, C., Hunter, M., Khalil, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles
Environmental DNA for monitoring the impact of offshore wind farms on fish and invertebrate community structures Cornelis, I., De Backer, A., Maes, S., Vanhollebeke, J., Brys, R, Ruttink, T., Hostens, K., Derycke, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates
Assessing environmental impacts of offshore wind farms: lessons learned and recommendations for the future Rahman, F., Kumar, P. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Chemicals, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Guardians of the seabed: Nature-inclusive design of scour protection in offshore wind farms enhances benthic diversity Kingma, E., ter Hofstede, R., Kardinaal, E., Bakker, R., Bittner, O., van der Weide, B., Coolen, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates
Environmental impacts from large-scale offshore renewable-energy deployment Ouro, P., Fernandez, R., Armstrong, A., Brooks, B., Burton, R., Folkard, A., Ilić, S., Parkes, B., Schultz, D., Stallard, T., Watson, F. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Answering the key stakeholder questions about the impact of offshore wind farms on marine life using hypothesis testing to inform targeted monitoring Cresci, A., Degraer, S., Zhang, G., Dannheim, J., Browman, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Decommissioning Case Study: Circular Economy in the Wind Sector – Materials Mapping Smithson-Paul, V., Bennet, L., Fraser, O. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions
A review on the interactions between engineering and marine life: key information for engineering professionals Dobson, T., Lenchine, V., Bainbridge, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Environmental Impact Assessment
Offshore Wind Facts: Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Offshore Wind Facts: Fish and Invertebrates Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Fish, Invertebrates
Primary vs grey: A critical evaluation of literature sources used to assess the impacts of offshore wind farms Szostek, C., Edwards-Jones, A., Beaumont, N., Watson, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Offshore Wind Facts: Coastal and Marine Habitats Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Towards sustainable decommissioning: The importance of lifespan extension and standardisation Natuur & Milieu Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change
Offshore wind energy potential along the Indian Coast considering ecological safeguards Bonthu, S., Purvaja, R., Singh, K., Ganguly,D., Muruganandam,R., Paul, T., Ramesh, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
Conditions for sustainable decommissioning of offshore wind turbines Kelder, M., van Pelt, A., van Megen, O., Kamper, S., Natuur & Milieu Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Stakeholder Engagement
Conditions for nature friendly and circular decommissioning Natuur & Milieu Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
What are the potential effects of offshore wind farms on coastal fish and their essential habitats? Henry, S., Couturier, L., Darnaude, A., Garavelli, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Chemicals, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Fish
Settlement success of European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) on different types of hard substrate to support reef development in offshore wind farms ter Hofstede, R., Witte, S., Kamermans, P., van Koningsveld, M., Tonk, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Invertebrates
Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in the Belgian Part of the North Sea: Progressive Insights in Changing Species Distribution Patterns Informing Marine Management Degraer, S., Brabant, R., Rumes, B., Vigin, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
A synthesis review of nature positive approaches and coexistence in the offshore wind industry Pardo, J., Aune, M., Harman, C., Walday, M., Skjellum, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Decommissioning of offshore wind farms and its impact on benthic ecology Spielmann, V., Dannheim, J., Brey, T., Coolen, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Exploration of potential collaboration on preventive, mitigation and compensation measures van der Kamp, M., Brekelmans, M., Verweij, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Field data-based correlation between scour at offshore wind farms (OWFs) and hydrodynamic drivers Ludwig, F. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
Vision paper: Decommissioning offshore windparks in the Belgian part of the North Sea Van Maele, T., Desplenter, N., Van Aken, I., Degraer, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions
Offshore wind project-level monitoring in the Northeast U.S. continental shelf ecosystem: evaluating the potential to mitigate impacts to long-term scientific surveys Methratta, E., Lipsky, A., Boucher, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind EMF, Habitat Change Fish, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Residency and habitat use of European lobster (Homarus gammarus) within an offshore wind farm Thatcher, H., Stamp, T., Wilcockson, D., Moore, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Invertebrates
A wind of change for soft-sediment infauna within operational offshore windfarms Lefaible, N., Braeckman, U., Degraer, S., Vanaverbeke, J., Moens, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Development of a Cumulative Impact Assessment tool for birds in Norwegian Offshore Waters: Trollvind OWF as a case study Layton-Matthews, K., Buckingham, L., Critchley, E., Nilsson, A., Ollus, V., Ballesteros, M., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Dehnhard, N., Fauchald, P., Hanssen, F., Helberg, M, Masden, E., May, R., Sandvik, H., Tarroux, A, Reiertsen, T. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds
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