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• Wind farms beneficial to Marine Life

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  Bernd Laeschke

  (not a XING member)

  Wind farms beneficial to Marine Life

  Stockholm (Global Adventures): While the EU announced that it will exceed its target to produce 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, a new study by Dan Wilhelmsson, Department of Zoology, at the Stockholm University claims that offshore wind generation and wave energy foundations can be beneficial to (re)establish marine life.
  
  “The seabed in the vicinity of wind turbines had higher densities of fish compared to further away from the turbines and in reference areas. This was despite that the natural bottoms were rich in boulders and algae. Blue mussels dominated on the wind turbines that appeared to offer good growth conditions,” said Wilhelmsson. “Wave power foundations, too, comprising of large concrete blocks, proved to attract fish and large crabs. Blue mussels fall down from the surface buoys and become food for animals on the foundations and on the adjacent seabed. Lobsters also settle under the foundations. In a mass experiment, holes were drilled in the foundations, and this dramatically increased numbers of crabs. The placement of the holes also demonstrated to be of importance for the crabs.”
  
  Wilhelmsson studied how offshore wind turbines constitute habitats for fish, crabs, lobsters, contaminating animals, and plants. How marine life will react to the major enlargement of offshore wind generation underway on European coasts is not clear, but numerous research projects looking into the affects of noise, shadows, electromagnetic fields, and changes in hydrology are underway.
  
  • 23 Feb 2010, 7:21 pm
  Bernd Laeschke wrote: > Stockholm (Global Adventures): While the EU announced that it will > exceed its target to produce 20 percent of its energy from renewable > sources by 2020, a new study by Dan Wilhelmsson, Department of > Zoology, at the Stockholm University claims that offshore wind > generation and wave energy foundations can be beneficial to > (re)establish marine life. > > “The seabed in the vicinity of wind turbines had higher densities of > fish compared to further away from the turbines and in reference > areas. This was despite that the natural bottoms were rich in > boulders and algae. Blue mussels dominated on the wind turbines that > appeared to offer good growth conditions,” said Wilhelmsson. “Wave > power foundations, too, comprising of large concrete blocks, proved > to attract fish and large crabs. Blue mussels fall down from the > surface buoys and become food for animals on the foundations and on > the adjacent seabed. Lobsters also settle under the foundations. In a > mass experiment, holes were drilled in the foundations, and this > dramatically increased numbers of crabs. The placement of the holes > also demonstrated to be of importance for the crabs.” > > Wilhelmsson studied how offshore wind turbines constitute habitats > for fish, crabs, lobsters, contaminating animals, and plants. How > marine life will react to the major enlargement of offshore wind > generation underway on European coasts is not clear, but numerous > research projects looking into the affects of noise, shadows, > electromagnetic fields, and changes in hydrology are underway.