Skip to main content

Habitat Change

Underwater tidal turbine
Changes to the physical habitat around the device.

The introduction of wind or marine renewable energy devices to the environment can change the physical habitat. The development of land-based wind farms, for example, typically requires the addition of roads and infrastructure, which can lead to habitat degradation and/or fragmentation. Installation of offshore wind and marine renewable energy devices' associated subsea power cables will likely result in changes to seafloor habitats. The physical presence of one or many devices may cause animals to avoid the area, potentially resulting in loss of foraging, breeding, rearing, or resting habitats. Fish may be attracted to a device to feed on algae or to swim in an eddy, while bats may be attracted to a device to feed on insects that are attracted by the light, both of which may place them at higher risk for collision with dynamic portions of the device. Mooring lines that anchor floating devices to the seafloor could also confuse or entrap large marine animals like whales, causing panic and potential injury or increased predation.

For more information relevant to marine energy, view the Changes in Benthic and Pelagic Habitats Short Science Summary produced by OES-Environmental.

For more information relevant to offshore wind energy, view the Introduction of New Structures: Effects on Fish Ecology and Benthic Disturbance from Foundations, Anchors, & Cables research briefs produced by SEER.

Photo Credit: BALAO-SABELLA

Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Tethys is a knowledge hub that contains documents on the environmental effects of wind and marine energy. The table below contains all of the documents in the Tethys Knowledge Base associated with Habitat Change.

Total: 1556

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Decommissioning Programme Equinor Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Commercial Wind Lease and Grant Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Humboldt Wind Energy Area, California Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), BOEM Environmental Studies Program Report Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Experimental study of bed level changes in the vicinity of flap-type wave energy converters Taheri, O., Kolahdoozan, M., Faghihirad, S. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wave Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) in the Tropics: An Overview of MRE Potential in Oaxaca, Mexico Oman, J. Report Marine Energy, Ocean Current, OTEC, Wave Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Legal & Policy, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data
Offshore renewables need an experimental mindset Johnson, A., Dawson, C., Conners, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Suitability for the development of flat oyster populations in new offshore wind farm zones and two search areas for restoration projects in the Dutch section of the North Sea Duren, L., Kamermans, P., Kleissen, F. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates
Dynamic land use implications of rapidly expanding and evolving wind power deployment Harrison-Atlas, D., Lopez, A., Lantz, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions
Artificial hard-substrate colonisation in the offshore Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Karlsson, R., Tivefälth, M., Duranović, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates
Measuring and visualizing environmental and social impacts of wind energy projects Pian, A., Verhoef, J., De Vries, L. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Human Dimensions
Potential impacts of floating wind turbine technology for marine species and habitats Maxwell, S., Kershaw, F., Locke, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Displacement, Entanglement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Navigation
Environmental Data Catalog for the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area Johnson, C., Currier, C., Howar, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles
Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to High Voltage Direct Current Cooling Systems Middleton, P., Barnhart, B. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Chemicals, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment
The Effects of Management Practices on Grassland Birds: An Introduction to North American Grasslands and the Practices Used to Manage Grasslands and Grassland Birds Shaffer, J., DeLong, J. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Displacement, Habitat Change Birds
Glider study at Hywind Scotland Ramasco, V. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Imagery to Characterise Pursuit-Diving Seabird Association With Tidal Stream Hydrodynamic Habitat Features Slingsby, J., Scott, B., Kregting, L. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Project Summary of Outcomes and Results of Wave Energy in Southern Europe (WESE) Project Bald, J., Uyarra, M., Menchaca, I. Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Climate change effects on the ecophysiology and ecological functioning of an offshore wind farm artificial hard substrate community Voet, H., van Colen, C., Vanaverbeke, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions
Framework for Assessing Ecological and Cumulative Effects (KEC) 4.0 for the roll-out of offshore wind energy and wind farm zones (Éxtra Task 2030+) Rijkswaterstaat Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes
Triton Field Trials - Changes in Habitats, a Literature Review of Monitoring Technologies Hemery, L., Mackereth, K., Tugade, L. Report Marine Energy Habitat Change
The reef effect induced by wind farms and their grid connection Couturier, L., Lecaillon, G., Lenfant, P. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Scour and Cable Protection Decommissioning Study Peritus International Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Environmental Effects from Wave Power: Artificial Reefs and Incidental No-take Zones Bender, A. Thesis Marine Energy, Wave Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates
Density maps of the herring gull for the Dutch continental shelf Soudijn, F., Chen, C., Potiek, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
How can the impacts of an operating wind farm on marine mammals be assessed? Couturier, L., Curé, C., Labach, H. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Marine Mammals
ORJIP Ocean Energy Information Note: Changes in Benthic and Pelagic Habitats caused by Marine Renewable Energy Devices Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme (ORJIP) Report Marine Energy Habitat Change Physical Environment
Spatial co-occurrence between wind power and boreal forestlands with lichen important for reindeer browsing Lundmark, E. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Displacement, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Terrestrial Mammals
Introduction of New Offshore Wind Farm Structures: Effects on Fish Ecology Green, R., Severy, M., Harker-Klimes, G. Summary Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish
Benthic Disturbance from Offshore Wind Foundations, Anchors, and Cables Severy, M., Oteri, F., Green, R. Summary Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Wind Farms Waste: Non-Calculated Environmental Impact? Martínez-Mendoza, E., Fernández-Echeverría, E., García-Santamaría, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Bat Impact Assessment: Latrodex Wind Energy Facility Dippenaar, S. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Crossing artificial obstacles during migration: The relative global ecological risks and interdependencies illustrated by the migration of common quail Coturnix coturnix Nadal, J., Sáez, D., Margalida, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds
Satellite Tracking of Migration Routes of the Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicus) in Japan through Sakhalin Hijikata, N., Yamaguchi, N., Hiraoka, E. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Habitat Change Birds
Impacts of 319 wind farms on surface temperature and vegetation in the United States Qin, Y., Li, Y., Xu, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
Offshore wind farm effects on flounder and gadid dietary habits and condition on the northeastern US coast Wilber, D., Brown, L., Griffin, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Physical Environment
A fine-scale marine mammal movement model for assessing long-term aggregate noise exposure Joy, R., Schick, R., Dowd, M. Journal Article Habitat Change, Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Cumulative population-level effects of habitat loss on seabirds 'Kader Ecologie en Cumulatie 4.0' Soudijn, F., van Donk, S., Leopold, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
A risk-based method to prioritize cumulative impacts assessment on marine biodiversity and research policy for offshore wind farms in France Brignon, J., Lejart, M., Nexer, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Seafloor Disturbance and Recovery Monitoring at the Block Island Wind Farm, Rhode Island: Summary Report (Year 6) Olsen, K., Erickson, R., Hughes, E. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Decommissioning Offshore Wind Facilities Fernandez, K., Middleton, P., Salerno, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Application of Monte Carlo and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Processes for ranking floating wind farm locations Díaz, H., Teixeira, A., Soares, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Birds, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Recreation & Tourism

Displaying 401 - 440 of 1556 results