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
Realizing the Potential of eDNA Biodiversity Monitoring Tools in the Marine Environment with Application to Offshore Renewable Energy Sepulveda, A., Morrison, C., Hunter, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles
AB 525 Offshore Wind Strategic Plan Jones, M., Bartridge, J., Walker, L. Report Wind Energy Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Impacts to Fish and Seafloor Habitats California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates
Understanding Potential Environmental Impacts with Existing Research California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals
Environmental DNA for monitoring the impact of offshore wind farms on fish and invertebrate community structures Cornelis, I., De Backer, A., Maes, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates
Impacts to Seabirds California Ocean Science Trust Summary Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Potential environmental impacts of floating solar photovoltaic systems Benjamins, S., Williamson, B., Billing, S-L. Journal Article Attraction, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, EMF, Habitat Change Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Black Terns (Chlidonias niger) beyond the breeding grounds: Occurrence, relative density, and habitat associations in the northern Gulf of Mexico Michael, P., Gleason, J., Haney, J. Journal Article Wind Energy Displacement, Habitat Change Birds
Effects of the Block Island Wind Farm on Benthic and Epifaunal Communities Fonseca, M., McMahon, A., Erickson, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates
Global Review on Environmental Impacts of Onshore Wind Energy and Their Implications for Forest Ecosystems Sander, L., Jung, C., Schindler, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Global Review on Environmental Impacts of Onshore Wind Energy in the Field of Tension between Human Societies and Natural Systems Sander, L., Jung, C., Schindler, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Environmental Impact Assessment of Offshore Wind Farms in Deep Waters Alawady, A., Senthurya, S., Saritha, G. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Marine Mammals
Assessing environmental impacts of offshore wind farms: lessons learned and recommendations for the future [E3S] Rahman, F., Kumar, P. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Chemicals, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Environmental impact of wind farms from a biodiversity perspective: A comparative study of terrestrial and marine wind farms Kończak, K. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Marine Mammals
Local and regional interactions between tidal stream turbines and coastal environment Li, X., Li, M., Wolf, J. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Making eco-sustainable floating offshore wind farms: Siting, mitigations, and compensations Danovaro, R., Bianchelli, S., Brambilla, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Guardians of the seabed: Nature-inclusive design of scour protection in offshore wind farms enhances benthic diversity Kingma, E., ter Hofstede, R., Kardinaal, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates
Fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus in fouling communities on artificial offshore structures Coolen, J., Weide, B., Bittner, O. Journal Article Habitat Change Physical Environment
Quantifying land impacts of wind energy: a regional-scale assessment in Finland Balotari-Chiebao, F., Byholm, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
Opportunities for enhancing biodiversity at wind and solar energy developments Jobson, B., Cook, A., Fletcher, C. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Reptiles, Terrestrial Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Stakeholder Engagement
Will future wind power development in Scandinavia have an impact on wolves? Miltz, C., Eriksen, A., Wikenros, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Displacement, Habitat Change Terrestrial Mammals
Environmental impacts from large-scale offshore renewable-energy deployment Ouro, P., Fernandez, R., Armstrong, A. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Modeling the impact of floating offshore wind turbines on marine food webs in the Gulf of Lion, France Adge, M., Lobry, J., Tessier, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Answering the key stakeholder questions about the impact of offshore wind farms on marine life using hypothesis testing to inform targeted monitoring Cresci, A., Degraer, S., Zhang, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
Winds of Progress: An In-Depth Exploration of Offshore, Floating, and Onshore Wind Turbines as Cornerstones for Sustainable Energy Generation and Environmental Stewardship Afridi, S. K., Koondhar, M. A., Jamali, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Lighting Bats, Birds, Raptors, Seabirds, Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
FLAGERMUS VED KRIEGERS FLAK HAVMØLLEPARK 2022 OG 2023 Christensen, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Bats
Impacts of wildfire and windfarm construction and operation on herpetofauna community ecology Maloney, A. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Noise Reptiles
PrePARED – The First Two Years Bicknell, T., Booth, C., Butler, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Habitat Change Birds, Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals
Using juvenile movements as a proxy for adult habitat and space use in long-lived territorial species: a case study on the golden eagle Hemery, A., Duriez, O., Itty, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Birds
A review on the interactions between engineering and marine life: key information for engineering professionals Dobson, T., Lenchine, V., Bainbridge, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Primary vs grey: A critical evaluation of literature sources used to assess the impacts of offshore wind farms Szostek, C., Edwards-Jones, A., Beaumont, N. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Offshore Wind Facts: Coastal and Marine Habitats Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Offshore Wind Facts: Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Monitoring plant diversity in wind farm areas: An approach to early detection of alien plant species Urziceanu, M., Rozylowicz, L., Stefanescu, D.M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change
Offshore wind farm foundations as artificial reefs: The devil is in the detail Werner, K., Haslob, H., Reichel, A. Journal Article Wind Energy Attraction, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Demersal Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Offshore Wind Facts: Fish and Invertebrates Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Fish, Invertebrates
Thornton Bank Offshore Wind Farm Annual Report 2023 Magnus, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality
A global meta-analysis of ecological effects from offshore marine artificial structures Lemasson, A., Somerfield, P., Schratzberger, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates
Spatial Trade-Offs in National Land-Based Wind Power Production in Times of Biodiversity and Climate Crises Grimsrud, K., Hagem, C., Haaskjold, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Displacement, Habitat Change Human Dimensions
Offshore wind energy and fisheries: Sustainable development goals, enterprise practices, and fishermen's perspectives Lin, C., Lee, H., Hsu, T. Journal Article Wind Energy Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Displaying 161 - 200 of 1533 results