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
Environmental assessment of proposed areas for offshore wind farms off southern Brazil based on ecological niche modeling and a species richness index for albatrosses and petrels Lemos, C., Hernandez, M., Vilardo, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
The negative impact of wind turbines on wildlife in South Africa Docrat, N. Thesis Wind Energy Habitat Change Birds, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Legal & Policy
Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in the Belgian Part of the North Sea: Progressive Insights in Changing Species Distribution Patterns Informing Marine Management Degraer, S., Brabant, R., Rumes, B. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Heat from Buried Transmission Cables Middleton, P., Barnhart, B. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Wind energy expansion and birds: Identifying priority areas for impact avoidance at a national level Balotari-Chiebao, F., Santangeli, A., Piirainen, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes
Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in the Belgian Part of the North Sea: Getting ready for offshore wind farm expansion in the North Sea Degraer, S., Brabant, R., Rumes, B. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Environmental Effects Monitoring Program Annual Report 2022 Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) Report Marine Energy, Tidal Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Probabilistic Assessment and Comparison of Scour Protections at Horns Rev 3 and Egmond aan Zee Offshore Wind Farms Chambel, J., Fazeres-Ferradosa, T., Figueiredo, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Hornsea Project Three Kittiwake Implementation and Monitoring Plan (KIMP) GeoBe Consultants, NIRAS Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Suivi environnemental 2022: Suivi de la mortalité - Parc éolien de la Vallée de Torfou Habert, T., Yann, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds, Passerines, Raptors
Ecosystem Benefits of Floating Offshore Wind Haberlin, D., Cohuo, A., Doyle, T. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Report on the post monitoring of the sea ecosystem – seabed after deploying the WEC in the aquatory of Bar, Montenegro Joksimović, A. Report Marine Energy, Wave Habitat Change Physical Environment
Offshore wind farms are projected to impact primary production and bottom water deoxygenation in the North Sea Daewel, U., Akhtar, N., Christiensen, N. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Towards Holistic Characterization of the Near Seabed for Renewable Energy Installations in Shallow Marine Environments Clementi, M., Boiero, D., Leone, C. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Wind Energy Changes in Flow, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Tidal range electricity generation: A comparison between estuarine barrages and coastal lagoons Vandercruyssen, D., Baker, S., Howard, D. Journal Article Tidal Habitat Change Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
SUIVI DE LA QUALITE DE L’EAU, DES HABITATS ET PEUPLEMENTS BENTHIQUES: PARC EOLIEN EN MER DE SAINT-NAZAIRE PHASE CONSTRUCTION 2022 Tertre, N. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates, Physical Environment
Evidence for the effects of decommissioning man-made structures on marine ecosystems globally: a systematic map Lemasson, A., Somerfield, P., Schratzberger, M. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes
Dominant Frequency Extraction for Operational Underwater Sound of Offshore Wind Turbines Using Adaptive Stochastic Resonance Wang, R., Xu, X., Zou, Z. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Physical Environment
Conceptualization of NEXUS elements in the marine environment (Marine NEXUS) Papadopoulou, M., Vlachou, A. Journal Article Marine Energy Chemicals, Habitat Change Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning, Recreation & Tourism
Clean Energy from the Ocean: Measuring the Environmental Footprint of Devices Rose, D., Gunn, C., Hemery, L. Magazine Article Marine Energy Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Wind turbine wakes can impact down-wind vegetation greenness Diffendorfer, J., Vanderhoof, M., Ancona, Z. Journal Article Wind Energy Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental Effects of U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Development: Compilation of Educational Research Briefs Green, R., Hein, C., Oteri, F. Summary Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles
Reef effect of offshore structures on the occurrence and foraging activity of harbour porpoises Fernandez-Betelu, O., Graham, I., Thompson, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
International assessment of priority environmental issues for land-based and offshore wind energy development Green, R., Gill, E., Hein, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment
Windfarms, fishing and benthic recovery: Overlaps, risks and opportunities Dunkley, F., Solandt, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Implementation of the Spatial Environmental Assessment Toolkit McWilliams, S., Jones, C., Roberts, J. Presentation Marine Energy, Riverine, Tidal, Wave Habitat Change, Noise
Vulnerability of pelagic seabirds to the introduction of offshore renewable energy infrastructure off the Irish coast Murphy, E., Jessopp, M. Research Study Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Prinses Amalia Windturbine park 2022 Leewis, L., Klink, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates
Spatial assessment of benthic compensatory habitats for offshore wind farm impacts Ward, O., Aberson, M., Kirby, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Powering Healthy Seas: Accelerating Nature Positive Offshore Wind Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Impacts of wind turbines on vegetation and soil cover: a case study of Urla, Cesme, and Karaburun Peninsulas, Turkey Aksoy, T., Cetin, M., Cabuk, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Birds, Physical Environment
Quantifying the land-based opportunity carbon costs of onshore wind farms Albanito, F., Roberts, S., Shepherd, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment
Balancing future renewable energy infrastructure siting and associated habitat loss for migrating whooping cranes Ellis, K., Pearse, A., Brandt, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Physical Environment
Reviewing the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms Galparsoro, I., Menchaca, I., Garmendia, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates
Detection of Habitat Shifts of Cetacean Species: A Comparison Between 2010 and 2017 Habitat Suitability Conditions in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean Chavez-Rosales, S., Josephson, E., Palka, D. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy Displacement, Habitat Change Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Distance to hedgerows drives local repulsion and attraction of wind turbines on bats: Implications for spatial siting Leroux, C., Kerbiriou, C., Le Viol, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Bats
Generalized changes of benthic communities after construction of wind farms in the southern North Sea Coolen, J., Vanaverbeke, J., Dannheim, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates
Chasing the offshore wind farm wind-wake-induced upwelling/downwelling dipole Floeter, J., Pohlmann, T., Harmer, A Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Offshore Wind Lease Issuance, Site Characterization, and Site Assessment: Central and Northern California Reeb, D., Schroeder, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Environmental Impact Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment for a Deep Water Floating Offshore Wind Turbine on the Brazilian Continental Shelf de Paula, L., Carmo, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment
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