Short Science Summary: Offshore Wind Farms as Stepping Stones for Non-indigenous Species

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One of the most important effects of offshore wind farms is the unintentional provision of a new habitat which invariably is rapidly colonized by hard substrate species. Turbine foundations provide hard vertical substrates and, depending on the structure and scour protection used, varying degrees of habitat complexity. These novel surfaces span the full water column from the splash zone to the seafloor, often in areas where comparable natural hard surfaces are absent. Non-indigenous species (NIS) are species that did not occur in a particular geographic region, such as the North Sea, prior to a certain date (e.g., the beginning of the 17th century). They consist of species introduced by human activities outside their natural past or present range (introduced species), and species that spread by their own means (range expanding species) due to rising temperatures or other factors. As ocean sprawl in shallow and coastal waters has favored NIS, there is concern that increasing development of offshore wind farms will accelerate this phenomenon. This summary represents a general overview of the research, produced by WREN under IEA Wind. 

The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document and will continue to be updated as new literature is added to Tethys.

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
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
Review of the Reef Effects of Offshore Wind Farm Structures and their Potential for Enhancement and Mitigation UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data
Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in the Belgian Part of the North Sea: Empirical Evidence Inspiring Priority Monitoring, Research and Management Degraer, S., Brabant, R., Rumes, B., Vigin, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment
DRAFT Ocean Wind 1 Offshore Wind Farm Biological Assessment BOEM Office of Renewable Energy Programs Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change Fish, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Biology and Video Surveys of North Hoyle Wind Turbines 11th-13th August 2004 Bunker, F. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates, Fish
Marine Bird Distribution Along the Oregon Coast Suryan, R., Phillips, E., So, K., Zamon, J., Lowe, R., Stephensen, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Marine Energy Habitat Change Seabirds, Birds
Assessment of the Effects of the Offshore Wind Farm Egmond aan Zee (OWEZ) for Harbour Porpoise (comparison T0 and T1) Scheidat, M., Aarts, G., Bakker, A., Brasseur, S., Carstensen, J., van Leeuwen, P., Leopold, M., van Polanen Petel, T., Reijnders, P., Teilmann, J., Tougaard, J., Verdaat, H. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Marine Mammals
Documenting fish response to seismic surveying and establishing a baseline soundscape for reefs in Onslow Bay, North Carolina Paxton, A., Voss, C., Peterson, C., Taylor, J., Ebert, E., Degan, B., Nowacek, D., Dale, J., Cole, E. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Invertebrates
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., Vigin, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Horns Rev II Offshore Wind Farm Food Basis for Common Scoter Skov, H., Durinck, J., Erichsen, A., Kloster, R., Møhlenberg, F., Leonhard, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates, Ecosystem Processes, Birds
A Further Review of Sediment Monitoring Data Carroll, B., Cooper, B., Dewey, N., Whitehead, P., Dolphin, T., Rees, J., Judd, A., Whitehouse, R., Harris, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Sediment Transport, Physical Environment
Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in the Belgian Part of the North Sea: a Continued move towards Integration and Quantification Degraer, S., Brabant, R., Rumes, B., Vigin, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment
Conservation Organizations Comments on June 21, 2021 OSW Workshop Cullum, L., Hislop, K., Aylesworth, S., Eriksen, R., Flick, P., George, G. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Marine Mammals
Effects of Marine Windfarms on the Distribution of Fish, Shellfish and Marine Mammals in the Horns Rev Area Hoffmann, E., Astrup, J., Larsen, F., Munch-Petersen, S., Støttrup, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise, Habitat Change, EMF, Avoidance, Attraction Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals, Invertebrates, Fish
Scroby Sands Seal Monitoring: Analysis of the 2005 Post-Construction Aerial Surveys Skeate, E., Perrow, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
The Dynamic Ocean: Offshore Wind Energy and Other Activities in the New York Bight New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Ecosystem Processes, Human Dimensions, Climate Change, Navigation
Nature-Inclusive Design: A Catalogue for Offshore Wind Infrastructure Hermans, A., Bos, O., Prusina, I. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Habitat Change Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Ocean Wind 1 Construction and Operations Plan Ocean Wind 1 Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions
Migration and Habitat Use by Seabirds in the Atlantic Flyway: Evaluation of Potential Impacts of Proposed Wind Farms Berlin, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Waterfowl
Measuring the Interaction Between Marine Features of Special Protection Areas with Offshore Wind Farm Development Sites Through Telemetry: Final Report Thaxter, C., Ross-Smith, V., Clark, N., Conway, G., Johnston, A., Wade, H., Masden, E., Bouten, W., Burton, N. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Collision Seabirds, Birds
Effects Matrix for Evaluating Potential Impacts of Offshore Wind Energy Development on U.S. Atlantic Coastal Habitats Latham, P., Fiore, W., Bauman, M., Weaver, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Human Dimensions
Horns Rev II Offshore Wind Farm Monitoring of Migrating Waterbirds Piper, W., Kulik, G., Durinck, J., Skov, H., Leonhard, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Waterfowl
Impacts to Wildlife of Wind Energy Siting and Operation in the United States Allison, T., Diffendorfer, J., Baerwald, E., Beston, J., Drake, D., Hale, A., Hein, C., Huso, M., Loss, S., Lovich, J., Strickland, M., Williams, K., Winder, V. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Bats, Birds
Characterisation of the Potential Impacts of Subsea Power Cables Associated with Offshore Renewable Energy Projects Taormina, B., Quillienn, N., Lejart, M., Carlier, A., Desroy, N., Laurans, M., Reynaud, M., Perignon, Y., Erussard, H., Derrien-Courtel, S., Le Gal, A., Derrien, R., Jolivet, A., Chavaud, S., Degret, V., Saffroy, D., Pagot, J., Barillier, A. Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind EMF, Habitat Change Physical Environment, Fish, Invertebrates
Environmental Data Catalog for the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area Johnson, C., Currier, C., Howar, J., Elliott, M., Rockwood, C., Jahncke, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles
Development of Underwater Flora and Fauna Communities on Hard Substrates of the Offshore Wind Farm Egmond aan Zee Lengkeek, W., Bouma, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Ecosystem Processes
Porpoises North of Sprogø Before, During and After Construction of an Offshore Wind Farm Tougaard, J., Carstensen, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Marine Mammals
Marine Scotland Review of Approaches and Costs of Decommissioning Offshore Wind Installations Public Report Marine Scotland Science Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm Post-Construction Monitoring Year 2 (2021): Benthic Grab Survey Report Markham, C., Hubble, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
New York State Offshore Wind Master Plan: Fish and Fisheries Study Ecology and Environment, Inc. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Impact-Producing Factors in the Offshore Wind Cumulative Impacts Scenario on the South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Environmental Justice, Fisheries, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Hydro-Acoustic Monitoring of Fish Communities at Offshore Wind Farms Hvidt, C., Leonhard, S., Klaustrup, M., Pedersen, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Fish, Pelagic Fish
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
Lake Erie Monitoring Plan for the Offshore Wind Project: Icebreaker Wind LimnoTech Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Displacement, Habitat Change, Noise Ecosystem Processes, Fish
Development of Spatial Information Layers for Commercial Fishing and Shellfishing in UK Waters to Support Strategic Siting of Offshore Windfarms Dunstone, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning
Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm Turbine Foundation Faunal Colonisation Diving Survey Fugro EMU Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Invertebrates
Seafloor Disturbance and Recovery Monitoring at the Block Island Wind Farm, Rhode Island – Summary Report Khan, A., Smith, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
Benthic Monitoring During Wind Turbine Installation and Operation at the Block Island Wind Farm, Rhode Island – Year 2 Bartley, M., English, P., King, J., Khan, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change Physical Environment
South Fork Wind Farm Construction and Operations Plan Ørsted, Eversource Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind EMF, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Final Results of Bird Studies at the Offshore Wind Farms at Nysted and Horns Rev, Denmark Petersen, I., Christensen, T., Kahlert, J., Desholm, M., Fox, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
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