Abstract
The Dutch governmental offshore wind ecological programme (Wozep) was established to expand the knowledge base about how wind farms affect protected species so that it will be possible to arrive at the best possible estimate of the ecological impact during the preparations for new road maps (proposed areas for wind farms in the years to come). A cumulative effect assessment is therefore being made to determine whether the proposed wind farms (and those in place) will have a significant impact on the numbers of the protected birds, bats and marine mammals. The cumulative effect assessment is made with the KEC (Framework for Assessing Ecological and Cumulative Effects). The Wozep research results are used to improve these KEC calculations.
The primary focus of Wozep is on the protected species that are directly affected by the wind turbines. The concerns here are collisions of birds and bats with turbines, birds avoiding the wind farms, the effect of underwater noise on harbour porpoises and seals, and the possible effect of electromagnetic fields around the cables. Secondly, there is research looking at changes in the habitats of marine mammals and birds associated with the arrival of the wind farms. Changes in these habitats (amount of food available, resting place, settlement options for benthos) can also have an effect on the numbers and condition of the animals referred to here. And finally, since 2018, Wozep has also been using models to look at the possible impact of wind farms on physical processes (waves, currents, turbidity, etc.) in the North Sea. These physical processes constitute the basis of the North Sea ecosystem and they affect the food web and ultimately the vulnerable species.
The following are presentations from Knowledge day WOZEP/MONS 2024.
Program: Kennisdag Wozep – MONS
1. The M of MONS: a new layer of monitoring for the future of the North Sea - Noordzeeoverleg
2. Voorlopige resultaten van een MONS kust-survey van zooplankton met behulp van innovatieve technieken - Lodewijk van Walraven, Robbert Jak, Dick van Oevelen, Martijn Keur, Marcel Polling, Nadine Peck, Jeroen Hoekendijk
3. Pelagische vis in de Nederlandse kustzone - Bram Couperus, Ties Maris, Serdar Sakinan
4. Mapping Sabellaria Spinulosa in the Brown Bank - T.C. Gaida, B. Binnerts, C. van der Stappen, D. van der Burg, D. Piras, S. van Heteren, S. Carpentier, J. Cuperus, R. Vlierboom, A. Dekker, H. van der Jagt, L. Leewis
5. MONS Jaarplan 2024 Een bloemlezing - Jakob Asjes
6. Windenergie op Zee Ecologisch Programma - Wozep team (RWS WVL: Kees Borst, Niels Kinneging, Dagmar van Nieuwpoort, Elske Rotshuizen,
Tim Schellekens, Marije Siemensma, Ingeborg van Splunder, Henri Zomer RWS ZD: Aylin Erkman, Martine Graafland, Meik Verdonk, Edwin Verduin, Jos de Visser, Marije Wassink MPB: Ingrid de Jager; CM: Dunya Hamkar, OM: Tika Fauzi, Inkoper Stefan Doedijns Projectondersteuning: Annelies Rietman)
7a. Vernieuwde dichtheidskaarten - Jos de Visser
7b. Vernieuwde dichtheidskaarten zeevogels op de Noordzee - Susanne van Donk, Chun Chen, Eleni Melis, Rob van Bemmelen, Ingrid Tulp
8a. Wozep zeezoogdieronderzoek - Marije Siemensma
8b. Visuele bruinviswaarnemingen in offshore windparken - Jacco Leemans, Jeroen Kwakkel, Mark Collier, Ruben Fijn
8c. Bruinvis Netwerk Borssele - WaterProof Marine Consultancy & Services BC. (Joost Brinkkemper, Marijke Olivierse, Pepijn van Tol, Roelant Snoek, Jack O’Callaghan); Wageningen University & Research (Steve Geelhoed, Janneke Ransijn, Hans Verdaat, Bart Noort); Rijkswaterstaat (Niels Kinneging, Marije Siemensma)
9. Vleermuizen en windenergie op zee - Sander Lagerveld
10. Monitoring and modelling marine growth on wind turbine foundations - WOZEP