Abstract
Offshore wind farms can affect marine ecosystems by altering phytoplankton carbon concentration and water quality. However, most existing studies rely on single observation methods, limiting a comprehensive understanding of these impacts. In this study, field measurements, remote sensing, and numerical simulations were integrated to assess the effects of offshore wind farms on surrounding phytoplankton carbon and water quality, and to explore their relationships. The results showed that (1) the integrated approach effectively captured both large-scale patterns and local dynamic changes in phytoplankton carbon concentration and water quality; (2) offshore wind farms increased phytoplankton carbon and chlorophyll-a concentrations. In summer, the phytoplankton carbon and chlorophyll-a concentrations inside the wind farm were more than twice those outside the wind farm; in winter, the phytoplankton carbon and chlorophyll-a concentrations inside the wind farm were approximately 1.5 and 1.1 times those outside, respectively; (3) dissolved oxygen, inorganic nitrogen, and inorganic phosphorus also increased inside the wind farm. Compared with those outside the wind farm, their increases were 2.93%, 45.72%, and 41.0% in summer, and 1.12%, 39.04%, and 49.59% in winter, respectively. (4) changes in phytoplankton carbon and chlorophyll-a were mainly driven by wind-farm-induced disturbances to the local flow field, rather than by nutrient limitation.