Turbine impacts on benthos

Assessing the spatial extent of turbine-related impacts on the surrounding soft-sediment benthos: monopiles vs. jackets. The permanent presence of introduced artificial structures such as wind turbines result in a modification of the habitat, by means of altered local environmental conditions (changes in hydrology, granulometry and food availability) and the associated macrofaunal communities. In addition, these structures provide surface area for colonizing epifaunal communities, which could intensify these changes by influencing particle -and organic matter fluxes and local biodiversity. It is however expected that the spatial extent of these effects will depend on several factors such as i) local conditions (water masses and bottom currents, sediment type,..), ii) turbine type (surface area and material, scour protection,…) and iii) the turbine-specific epifaunal communities. Therefore, we aim to characterize (physico-chemical habitat parameters and biological communities) in the immediate vicinity of different turbine types at several distances in wind farms that have been operational for at least six years (expected time for stable epifaunal communities to develop) and that differ in terms of local conditions.

Cruises

Plan code Principal Investigator Duration Shared campaigns