Habitat Change

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: 1533

Searches title and abstract.
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
An Evaluation of the Potential Impact of Extracting Marine Renewable Energy in the Coastal Environment of the Black Sea Zburlea, L., Rusu, E. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment
Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Avian Species Research Fernandez, K., Middleton, P., Salerno, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds
Bats (Chiroptera) of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona Carpenter, G., Pilkington, L., Levorse, A. Journal Article Wind Energy Habitat Change Bats
Assessing the vulnerability of breeding bird populations to onshore wind-energy developments in Finland Balotari-Chiebao, F., Valkama, J., Byholm, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds
Radar-based Detection of Birds at Wind Turbines: Numerical Analysis for Optimum Coverage Zadeh, A., Malzer, M., Nguyen, D. Conference Paper Wind Energy Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions
Echolocation activity of harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, shows seasonal artificial reef attraction despite elevated noise levels close to oil and gas platforms Clausen, K., Teilmann, J., Wisniewska, D. Journal Article Attraction, Habitat Change, Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Scale Assessment of Marine Renewable Energy Structure in a Tidal System Raoux, A., Robin, I., Pezy, J. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Fish, Invertebrates
U.S. Geological Survey Migratory Bird Science, 2020–21 Pearse, A., Sherfy, M., Wimer, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds, Passerines, Raptors, Physical Environment
Scour Protections for Offshore Foundations of Marine Energy Harvesting Technologies: A Review Fazeres-Ferradosa, T., Chambel, J., Taveira-Pinto, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Physical Environment
Vineyard Wind 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Offshore wind farms and the attraction-production hypothesis: insights from a combination of stomach content and stable isotope analyses Mavraki, N., Degraer, S., Vanaverbeke, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish
Revolution Wind COP Appendix Z1: Assessment of Impacts to Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, and ESA-Listed Fish Species CSA Ocean Sciences Inc Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
ROSA Offshore Wind Project Monitoring Framework and Guidelines ROSA Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind COP Appendix II-J: Essential Fish Habitat Assessment Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, & Environmental Services, D.P.C. (EDR) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish
Application of a multibeam echosounder to document changes in animal movement and behaviour around a tidal turbine structure Williamson, B., Blondel, P., Williamson, L. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Attraction, Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Marine Mammals
What is an artificial reef? National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Webpage Habitat Change
Drivers of European bat population change: a review reveals evidence gaps Browning, E., Barlow, K., Burns, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Bats, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
A Runway Safety System Based on Vertically Oriented Stereovision Gradolewski, D., Dziak, D., Kaniecki, D. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Habitat Change Birds
Integrating Social and Ecological Research on the Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in North America ten Brink, T., Dalton, T., Livermore, J. Book Chapter Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data
A Multi-Criteria Approach to Evaluate Floating Offshore Wind Farms Siting in the Canary Islands (Spain) Díaz, H., Soares, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Co-production in the wind energy sector: A systematic literature review of public engagement beyond invited stakeholder participation Solman, H., Smits, M., Vliet, B. Journal Article Wind Energy Habitat Change, Noise Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Black kites of different age and sex show similar avoidance responses to wind turbines during migration Santos, C., Ferraz, R., Muñoz, A. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Raptors
NABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring Reichert, B., Bayless, M., Cheng, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Bats, Human Dimensions
Hornsea Project Three Environmental Monitoring Plan for Impacts Associated with Cable Protection Royal Haskoning DHV Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
Ectoparasite Load Is Reduced in Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta stansburiana) at Wind Farms: Implications for Oxidative Stress Alaasam, V., Keehn, J., Durso, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Noise Reptiles
Exploring the role of offshore wind in restoring priority marine habitats Robertson, M., Locke, S., Uttley, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates
Home range and habitat use of common noctules in the Dutch coastal zone Lagerveld, S., Janssen, R., Stienstra, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Bats
Mitigating biodiversity impacts associated with solar and wind energy development: guidelines for project developers Bennun, L., van Bochove, J., Ng, C. Guidance Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Marine Mammals
U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2018 Annual Report Anderson, P., Aldridge, C., Alexander, J. Report Wind Energy Habitat Change Human Dimensions
Potential ecosystem effects of large upscaling of offshore wind in the North Sea: Recommendations for further work van der Molen, J., Soetaert, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change
Recent increase in knowledge about numbers and flight behaviour in the White-throated Needletail 'Hirundapus caudacutus' Tarburton, M. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds
Environmental Effects Monitoring Program Annual Report 2020 Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) Report Marine Energy, Tidal Attraction, Avoidance, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Wind Energy Technologies Office Multi-Year Program Plan Fiscal Years 2021—2025 Marlay, R., Ahlgrimm, J., Clapper, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
Setting the Context for Offshore Wind Development Effects on Fish and Fisheries Gill, A., Degraer, S., Lipsky, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Stakeholder Engagement
Potential impacts of submarine power cables from marine renewable energy projects on benthic communities Taormina, B. Thesis Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind EMF, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Offshore Wind Farm Artificial Reefs Affect Ecosystem Structure and Functioning: A Synthesis Degraer, S., Carey, D., Coolen, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates
Offshore Wind Energy and Benthic Habitat Changes: Lessons from Block Island Wind Farm Hutchison, Z., Bartley, M., Degraer, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Effects of the Block Island Wind Farm on Coastal Resources: Lessons Learned Carey, D., Wilber, D., Read, L. Magazine Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Recreation & Tourism, Stakeholder Engagement
Considerations for Offshore Wind Energy Development Effects on Fish and Fisheries in the United States: A Review of Existing Studies, New Efforts, and Opportunities for Innovation Perry, R., Heyman, W. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Ocean energy and the environment: Research and strategic actions ETIP Ocean Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Physical Environment, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Displaying 521 - 560 of 1533 results