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Assessing the Impact of Windfarms in Subtidal, Exposed Marine Areas

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Marine Renewable Energy Technology and Environmental Interactions

Part of the book series: Humanity and the Sea ((HUMSEA))

Abstract

Marine renewable energy conversion typically takes place at locations characterized by harsh physical parameters that challenge monitoring of the marine environment. These challenges are caused both by the lack of experience on what to expect in terms of impact, but also by a general lack of methods proven suitable for the monitoring of high-energy subtidal marine habitats. Here, the first offshore windfarm to be built in Norwegian waters, a project called Havsul I, is used as a model to provide (i) an overview contrasting the known effects and monitoring methods used at more sheltered offshore windfarms with those expected at a rocky, high energy site; (ii) a description and short assessment of the physical environment (bathymetry, current, wave and wind data) and marine assemblages at the site, (iii) an assessment of five methods used during the baseline study at Havsul I, including sediment grabs, sampling of assemblages from kelp stipes, video mosaics for rocky bottom benthic assemblages, traditional fishing gear for fish community evaluation, and C-PODs for harbour porpoise presence.

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Acknowledgements

The work was conducted within Work Package 5 of the Norwegian Centre for Offshore Wind Energy (NORCOWE). We acknowledge the support at marine operations provided by Halvor Mohn, Argus AS and the backing of Vestavind Offshore AS and their representative Dag Breistein. Svein Winther, Sergei Olenin and Erling Heggøy initiated parts of the project, and the captain and crew of RV “Hakon Mosby” provided encouragement and support throughout the physical oceanography cruises.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Marie-Lise Schläppy

  2. Uni Research, Thormøhlensgate 55, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Thomas G. Dahlgren & Marie-Lise Schläppy

  3. Coastal Research and Planning Institute, Klaipeda University, H. Manto 84, 92294, Klaipeda, Lithuania

    Aleksej Šaškov

  4. Department of Underwater Research, Swedish Defence Research Agency, 164 90, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mathias H. Andersson

  5. Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory, Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping Joint Hydrographic Center, 24 Colovos Road, 03824, Durham, NH, USA

    Yuri Rzhanov

  6. Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, 7803, Bergen, Norway

    Ilker Fer

Authors
  1. Thomas G. Dahlgren
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  2. Marie-Lise Schläppy
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  3. Aleksej Šaškov
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  4. Mathias H. Andersson
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  5. Yuri Rzhanov
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  6. Ilker Fer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas G. Dahlgren .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Aberdeen, Newburgh, United Kingdom

    Mark A. Shields

  2. A&B Word Ltd, Halesworth, Suffolk, United Kingdom

    Andrew I.L. Payne

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Dahlgren, T., Schläppy, ML., Šaškov, A., Andersson, M., Rzhanov, Y., Fer, I. (2014). Assessing the Impact of Windfarms in Subtidal, Exposed Marine Areas. In: Shields, M., Payne, A. (eds) Marine Renewable Energy Technology and Environmental Interactions. Humanity and the Sea. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8002-5_4

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