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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: 1596

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
A practical wind farm siting framework integrating ecosystem services — A case study of coastal China Xing, L., Wang, Y. Journal Article Wind Energy Habitat Change Birds, Human Dimensions
Life-cycle impacts of wind energy development on bird diversity in Norway May, R., Jackson, C., Middel, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Assessing movements of Lesser Black-backed Gulls using GPS tracking devices in relation to the Walney Extension and Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farms Clewley, G., Thaxter, C., Humphreys, E. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Resident breeding bird responses to wind turbines: A functional and phylogenetic perspective Ding, Z., Liang, J., Cai, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Birds
Marine Evidence packages ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd (ABPmer) Webpage Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment
Land-Based Wind Energy Siting: A Foundational and Technical Resource Christol, C., Oteri, F., Laurienti, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Comparison of Environmental Effects from Different Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations (2021 Revision) Horwath, S., Hassrick, J., Grismala, R. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, Reptiles
Global offshore wind turbine dataset Zhang, T., Sengupta, D., Zhang, L. Journal Article Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Marine Spatial Planning
Note de synthèse - Suivi des pontes de seiche en plongée et observations embarquées Trebaul, E. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Water Quality, Fisheries
Sustainable energy planning for remote islands and the waste legacy from renewable energy infrastructure deployment Kouloumpis, V., Yan, X. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Chemicals, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment, Social & Economic Data
Benthos Workgroup Report for the State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy 2020: Cumulative Impacts Degraer, S., Hutchison, Z., LoBue, C. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
Bird Workgroup Report for the State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy 2020: Cumulative Impacts Cook, A., Williams, K., Jenkins, E. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds
Draft Preliminary Environmental Assessment: Vandenberg Offshore Wind Energy Projects California State Lands Commission Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Visual Impacts
Marine Mammals Workgroup Report for the State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy 2020: Cumulative Impacts Southall, B., Morse, L., Williams, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Marine Mammals
Sea Turtle Workgroup Report for the State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy 2020: Cumulative Impacts Gitschlag, G., Perry, R., Williams, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Conservation Organizations Comments on June 21, 2021 OSW Workshop Cullum, L., Hislop, K., Aylesworth, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Marine Mammals
Tidal stream use by black guillemots Cepphus grylle in relation to a marine renewable energy development Johnston, D., Furness, R., Robbins, A. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Modeling Small Scale Impacts of Multi-Purpose Platforms: An Ecosystem Approach Serpetti, N., Benjamins, S., Brain, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Atlantic deepwater ecosystem observatory network: Patterns of acoustic backscatter and community structure of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Miksis-Olds, J., Warren, J., Blair, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Displacement, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals
Migrating whooping cranes avoid wind-energy infrastructure when selecting stopover habitat Pearse, A., Metzger, K., Brandt, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Shorebirds
Environmental impacts of offshore wind installation, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning activities: A case study of Brazil Hernández Carrascal, O., Shadman, M., Amiri, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Offshore wind turbine operations and maintenance: A state-of-the-art review Ren, Z., Verma, A., Li, Y. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Marine Spatial Planning
Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species: FY15 – FY19 Palka, D., Aichinger Dias, L., Broughton, E. Report Habitat Change, Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Carbon-rich soils, deep peat and priority peatland habitat: Expert views on project level assessment Mills, A., Massey, K., Trinick, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
The Maritime Environment Impact Assessment of Offshore Floating Wind Power in Ulsan - A Focus on Habitat Equivalence Analysis Choi, S-Y., Moon, B-S., Kim, T-G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Assessing the effect of wind farms in fauna with a mathematical model Roman, P., Salinas, C., Araujo, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Working Group on Marine Benthal and Renewable Energy Developments (WGMBRED) ICES Working Group on Marine Renewable Energy (WGMRE) Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Offshore Windfarm Footprint of Sediment Organic Matter Mineralization Processes De Borger, E., Ivanov, E., Capet, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment, Invertebrates
Potential environmental effects of deepwater floating offshore wind energy facilities Farr, H., Ruttenberg, B., Walter, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment
Impacts of Offshore Wind Energy on Seafood Sectors: A Macroeconomic Perspective of the Energy-Food Nexus Qu, Y. Thesis Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data
A systemic view of potential environmental impacts of ocean energy production Martinez, M., Vázquez, G., Pérez-Maqueo O. Journal Article Marine Energy, Ocean Current, OTEC, Salinity Gradient, Tidal, Wave Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Physical Environment, Fish, Marine Mammals
Environmental Assessment of the Impacts and Benefits of a Salinity Gradient Energy Pilot Plant Marin-Coria, E., Silva, R., Enriquez, C. Journal Article Marine Energy, Salinity Gradient Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
Capercaillie and Wind Energy: An international research project Taubmann, J., Coppes, J., Andrén, H. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds
Effects of wind farms on the nest distribution of magpie (Pica pica) in agroforestry systems of Chongming Island, China Song, N., Xu, H., Zhao, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Habitat Change Birds, Passerines
Hydrodynamic Modeling, Particle Tracking and Agent-Based Modeling of Larvae in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bight Johnson, T., van Berkel, J., Mortensen, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Landscape features associated to wind farms increase mammalian predator abundance and ground-nest predation Gomez-Catasus, J., Barrero, A., Reverter, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Birds, Terrestrial Mammals
The clash between biodiversity protection and renewable energy development in the European Union with reference to the Habitats and the Birds Directive s Aikaterini, N. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Detection-reaction systems in onshore windfarms, a mitigation solution to reduce bird fatalities: Principles for a relevant assessment of their performances Corbeau, A., Dupont, S., Besnard, A. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes
Annual environmental report 2020 – Belwind Belwind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Navigation
Characterisation of the Potential Impacts of Subsea Power Cables Associated with Offshore Renewable Energy Projects Taormina, B., Quillienn, N., Lejart, M. Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind EMF, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Fish, Invertebrates

Displaying 521 - 560 of 1596 results