The next few decades will see big changes to our climate and to life on our planet. Moving to renewable energy, including offshore wind, will play a major role in cutting the emissions contributing to climate change, but we donβt yet fully know how this transition will affect marine biodiversity. As the UK leads the way in delivering offshore wind energy, ECOWind is committed to understanding how these efforts can be carried out in harmony with priorities to protect and enhance marine life.
ECOWind is bringing together experts from science, policy and industry to understand how offshore wind affects ecosystems…
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Exciting new research now out from #ECOWINGS! Investigating common guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes, razorbills, & Atlantic #puffin, this study sheds light on how #fishery closures affect the diets & breeding success of some key #seabirds species. πbuff.ly/3HlTJKE
A new paper in @FrontMarineSci characterises seabed sediments at offshore #RenewableEnergy sites in the #IrishSea, including #OffshoreWindFarms, & provides recommendations on ways to minimise the environmental impacts of ocean energy technologies. πbuff.ly/3LiLD7J
A new @SciReports paper studies the large scale effects of #OffshoreWind farms on #seabirds of high #conservation concern, showing that the distribution of loons changed significantly in one area of the #NorthSea before & after wind farm construction. πbuff.ly/43VGIAX
A new paper in @PolicyMarine investigates effective spatial management in the southern #NorthSea & the trade-offs that exist between #fisheries, #OffshoreWind & #MarineProtectedAreas in an area with multiple uses & competing objectives. Read moreπ buff.ly/3MKWzvY
Biologists at @Havforskningen have shown that low-frequency sounds produced by #OffshoreWind turbines can potentially attract larval cod, altering the early life of nearby microscopic fish. Read moreπ buff.ly/418guth
A recent study in @FrontiersIn Marine Science investigates how exploratory drilling, a step in the pre-construction phase of #OffshoreWind farms, impacts marine mammals through disturbances to the #marine soundscape. Read the paper here π buff.ly/4360vNO