Abstract
Marine data are collected by different entities (institutes, governmental organizations, or private companies) using heterogeneous instruments and sensors installed in various observing platforms. However, apart from researchers’ experience reported in technical reports and published papers worldwide, it seems that no specific guidelines are available concerning to the monitoring of the parameters covered by the WESE project, i.e., EMF, acoustics (noise), and seafloor integrity, around wave energy installations. The data acquisition methodology (e.g., spatial and temporal frames, methods and equipment used) was planned to be as standardized and homogeneous as possible among devices and test sites and was developed considering recommendations from researchers and according to the specificities of the devices and their location. Details of the methodology and results can be consulted in Deliverable 2.1, Deliverable 2.2 for EMF, Deliverable 2.3 for underwater noise, and Deliverable 2.4 for seafloor integrity. In the light of the results obtained and described in the above-mentioned deliverables a better understanding of EMF, acoustics, and seafloor integrity data collection, processing, validation, and reporting to allow comparison among sites was developed in Deliverable 2.6. Thanks to this last exercise and the experience acquired, different lessons were learned for each environmental parameter. In the present Deliverable 2.7 we try to translate these lessons and experience into guidelines that could be of interest when consenting processes and environmental monitoring plans will be launched for installing wave energy device arrays or farms. According to the experience and lessons learn during the monitoring campaigns in the WESE project, one of the main conclusions of D2.7 is the need to promote monitoring techniques based on autonomous remote sensing devices that are not dependant of sea conditions and able to cover properly the temporal and spatial resolution of the expected environmental impacts coming from wave energy harnessing devices.