TY - JOUR
TI - High-Resolution Modeling of Uplift Landscapes can Inform Micrositing of Wind Turbines for Soaring Raptors
AU - Hanssen, F
AU - May, R
AU - Nygård, T
T2 - Environmental Management
AB - Collision risk of soaring birds is partly associated with updrafts to which they are attracted. To identify the risk-enhancing landscape features, a micrositing tool was developed to model orographic and thermal updraft velocities from high-resolution remote sensing data. The tool was applied to the island of Hitra, and validated using GPS-tracked white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla). Resource selection functions predicted that eagles preferred ridges with high orographic uplift, especially at flight altitudes within the rotor-swept zone (40–110 m). Flight activity was negatively associated with the widely distributed areas with high thermal uplift at lower flight altitudes (<110 m). Both the existing wind-power plant and planned extension are placed at locations rendering maximum orographic updraft velocities around the minimum sink rate for white-tailed eagles (0.75 m/s) but slightly higher thermal updraft velocities. The tool can contribute to improve micrositing of wind turbines to reduce the environmental impacts, especially for soaring raptors.
DA - 2020/06//
PY - 2020
SP - 14
UR - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00267-020-01318-0
DO - 10.1007/s00267-020-01318-0
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Land-Based Wind
KW - Collision
KW - Birds
KW - Raptors
ER -