HC006
Hydrodynamic and Ecosystem Responses to Expanding Offshore Wind Developments

Session ID#: 255800

Session Description:
The ocean holds significant potential as a source of low carbon renewable energy. As many nations strive to achieve net zero emissions and strengthen their energy independence, offshore wind energy is rapidly expanding across continental shelf seas. This growth is creating complex interactions among ocean dynamics, marine ecosystems, and human activities that remain poorly understood.

 

This session invites contributions that investigate how the expansion of offshore wind developments influences physical ocean processes and how these changes affect ecosystem-level responses. We encourage research exploring links between modified hydrodynamics such as changes in ocean mixing and resulting shifts in primary production, nutrient cycling, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem responses.

 

We welcome studies that explore offshore wind development in the broader context of other pressures such as climate change, commercial fishing, and habitat modification from activities like bottom trawling or seabed infrastructure associated with energy developments. Understanding the cumulative effects of these stressors is essential for assessing the health and resilience of shelf sea ecosystems and for supporting effective and sustainable marine management.

The session aims to promote interdisciplinary exchange and highlight research that advances understanding of the tradeoffs and potential benefits of expanding offshore wind energy in busy and dynamic shelf seas.

Co-Sponsor(s):
  • Air-Sea Interactions -
  • Marine Ecology and Biodiversity -
  • Physical-Biological Interactions -
Index Terms:

4273 Physical and biogeochemical interactions [OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL]
4568 Turbulence, diffusion, and mixing processes [OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL]
4815 Ecosystems, structure, dynamics, and modeling [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL]
6334 Regional planning [POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES]
Student/Early Career Chair:  Juliane Wihsgott, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, United Kingdom
Primary Chair:  Juliane Wihsgott, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, United Kingdom
Co-chairs:  Jeffrey Carpenter, Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon, Institute of Coastal Ocean Dynamics, Geesthacht, Germany, Neda Trifonova, University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom and Glen Gawarkiewicz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States
 
Contrasting Responses of Stratification and Primary Production to Offshore Wind Farm Development between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea (1850782)
Marie Maar1, Vibe Schourup-Kristensen1, Ange Ishimwe1, Christian Mohn2, Andrea N Hahmann3, Eva F Møller1, Charlotte H Clubley1, Marc Imberger3 and Janus Larsen1, (1)Aarhus University, Ecoscience, Roskilde, Denmark, (2)Aarhus University, Ecoscience, Aarhus C, Denmark, (3)DTU Wind Energy, Roskilde, Denmark
 
Hydrodynamic and Biogeochemical Impacts of Floating Solar Installations co-located with Offshore Wind Farms in the North Sea (1858066)
Pauline Denis1,2, Jan Vanaverbeke3,4, Ee Zin Ong5, Geneviève Lacroix1, Thomas R H Kerkhove5 and Arthur Capet6,7, (1)Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, ECOMOD, Brussels, Belgium, (2)Ghent University, Marine Biology Research Group, Gent, Belgium, (3)Institute of Natural Sciences, MARECO, Brussels, Belgium, (4)Marine Biology, Dpt. of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, (5)Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, MARECO, Brussel, Belgium, (6)Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, ECOMOD, Brussel, Belgium, (7)Université Libre de Bruxelles, Department of Geosciences, Environment & Society (DGES), Brussels, Belgium
 
Enhanced mid-water mixing due to tidal flow past wind farm foundations (1867336)
Tom Philip Rippeth, Bangor University, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom and Ben Lincoln, Bangor University, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor, United Kingdom
 
Will floating wind farms affect stratification and phytoplankton in seasonally-stratifying shelf seas? (2007552)
Jonathan Sharples1, Sophie Durston1 and Mark Moore2, (1)University of Liverpool, School of Environmental Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (2)University of Southampton, School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton, United Kingdom
 
Approaching a Decade of Metals Data: Contextualizing Emissions from Offshore Wind Activity in the North Sea (2009400)
Alexa Zonderman1,2, Anna Ebeling1, Dominik Wippermann1 and Daniel Proefrock1, (1)Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry, Geesthacht, Germany, (2)University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
 
Regional impacts of offshore North Sea wind farms on phytoplankton dynamics (2009969)
Luca A van Duren1, Laurian Vilmin2, Sonia Heye2, Sophie Crouch3, Firmijn Zijl2, Thijs van Kessel2, Leo Leummens4 and Luka Jaksic2, (1)Deltares, Delft, NETHERLANDS, (2)Deltares, Delft, Netherlands, (3)Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom, (4)Deltares, Hydrodynamics and Forecasting, Delft, Netherlands
 
Potential impacts of future offshore renewables on Baltic Sea hydrodynamics and hypoxia (2010974)
Jan Kossack1, Nils Christiansen2, Ute Daewel1, Patricia Handmann3 and Corinna Schrum2, (1)Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Coastal Systems - Analysis and Modeling, Geesthacht, Germany, (2)Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Institute of Coastal Systems - Analysis and Modeling, Geesthacht, Germany, (3)Lhyfe SA, Nantes, France
 
Resolving the wakes of offshore wind infrastructure in density stratified tidal flows (2015254)
Charlie Lloyd, Loughborough University, School of Architecture, Building, and Civil Engineering, Loughborough, United Kingdom and Robert Michael Dorrell, Loughborough University, School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough, United Kingdom
 
Modelling Offshore Wind Farm effect on shelf sea stratification for Environmental Impact Assessment: comparing models of varying complexity (2016476)
Rory Benedict O'Hara Murray1, William Macdonald1 and Alejandro Gallego2, (1)Scottish Government Marine Directorate, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (2)Marine Directorate, Scottish Government, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
 
Cumulative Impacts of Offshore Wind and Tidal Wakes on the Hydrodynamics in the North Sea (2018172)
Nils Christiansen, Ute Daewel and Corinna Schrum, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Institute of Coastal Systems - Analysis and Modeling, Geesthacht, Germany
 
Wakes from offshore wind farms reduce surface energy fluxes within a model of the Baltic Sea (2019850)
Andrew Twelves, PhD1, Aleksi Nummelin1,2 and Pedro Bourdin3, (1)Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland, (2)NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway, (3)INSA Institut National des Sciences Appliquées, Lyon, France
 
Numerical Modelling of Wind Wake Effects from a Small Floating Offshore Wind Farm in the Gulf of Maine (2021518)
Benjamin Hayward1, Gregory P Gerbi1, Damian C Brady1 and Jennifer L Ross2, (1)University of Maine, Orono, United States, (2)University of Maine, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Orono, United States
 
Ecosystem Response to Floating Offshore Wind Development in a Seasonally Stratified Sea (2024715)
Sarah L Wakelin, National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom
 
Impacts of Floating Offshore Wind on Seasonally Stratified Shelf Seas from Glider Observations (2026926)
Dr. Christopher Auckland, University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich, United Kingdom and Rob Hall, University of East Anglia, Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences, Norwich, United Kingdom
 
Ecodesign benefits for carbon efficiency in artificial reefs: a case study with novel monitoring methods in a windfarm-impacted area of the English Channel (2027001)
Camille Carpentier1, Deloor Maël1, Maxime Navon2, Anne-Marie Rusig1 and Pascal Claquin1, (1)University of Caen Normandy, Marine Ecosystems and oRganisms reSEArch Lab (MERSEA), UR 7482, Luc-sur-mer, France, (2)IFREMER, LERN, Port en Bessin, France
 
A Framework for Quantifiable Evidence and Impact of Ecosystem Change from Offshore Wind Farms (2027042)
Matthew R Palmer, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, United Kingdom, Beth E Scott, The University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, Deborah Greaves, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom, Julie Robidart, National Oceanography Centre, Ocean Technology and Engineering, Southampton, United Kingdom, Rory Benedict O'Hara Murray, Scottish Government Marine Directorate, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, Benjamin Williamson, University of the Highlands and Islands, Environmental Research Institute, Thurso, United Kingdom, Takafumi Nishino, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom and Jeroen van der Kooij, Cefas, Lowestoft, United Kingdom
 
Mixing It Up: Biogeochemical Impacts of Floating Offshore Wind (2029978)
Lisa Friberg1, Robyn Tuerena1, Richard Abell1, Louisa Norman2 and Jonathan Sharples3, (1)Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, United Kingdom, (2)University of Liverpool, Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (3)University of Liverpool, School of Environmental Sciences, Liverpool, United Kingdom
 
From Hornsea to Space: Offshore Wind and the Changing Dynamics of Frontal System Productivity (2031248)
Benjamin Whitcombe1, Rodney Forster2 and Magnus Johnson1, (1)University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom, (2)University of Hull, Hull Marine Laboratory, Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom
 
Assessing Hydrodynamic Impacts of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures in the Nantucket Shoals Region (2031842)
Josh T Kohut, Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ, United States, Travis N Miles, Rutgers University, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, New Brunswick, United States, Luis Fernando Pareja-Roman, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States, Jeff R Carpenter, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Geesthacht, GERMANY and Glen Gawarkiewicz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, United States
 
Modelled oceanographic effects of bottom-fixed offshore wind farms and floating solar panels in the northern Adriatic Sea (Italy) (2033830)
Christian Ferrarin1, Arianna Zampollo2, Beth E Scott2, Alejandro Paladio-Hernandez, PhD3, Ali Aalifar1,4, Rory Benedict O'Hara Murray5 and William Macdonald5, (1)National Research Council, Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR), Venice, Italy, (2)The University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (3)National Research Council, Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR), Venezia, Italy, (4)Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Venice, Italy, (5)Scottish Government Marine Directorate, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
 
Projected slowly evolving changes in a semi-enclosed coastal sea as a consequence of offshore wind power establishment (2034520)
Lars Arneborg1, Per Pemberton1, Nathan Grivault2, Lars Axell2, Sofia Saraiva2, Sam Fredriksson3 and Erik Mulder2, (1)Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Department of Research and Development, Oceanography, Gothenburg, Sweden, (2)Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Department of Research and Development, Oceanography, Norrköping, Sweden, (3)Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Department of Research and Development, Oceanography, Göteborg, Sweden
 
Impacts of Electromagnetic Fields from Offshore Subsea Cables on Benthic Marine Invertebrates (2035259)
Amber Jones1, Joanna Rzempoluch2, Martin Solan1, George Callender2, Justin Dix1 and Jasmin Godbold1, (1)University of Southampton, School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton, United Kingdom, (2)University of Southampton, Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory, School of Electronics and Computer Science, Southampton, United Kingdom
 
A preliminary investigation into the impact of offshore wind farms on the Black Sea continental shelf (2035579)
Mainara Gouveia, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Meteorology and Geophysics Department, Sofia, Bulgaria and Elisaveta Peneva, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria
 
Analysis of Electromagnetic Fields from Operational HV Submarine Cables (2035953)
Joanna Rzempoluch1, Amber Jones2, Sunny Chaudhary1, Kevin Goddard1, George Callender1, Justin Dix2, Paul Lewin1, Jasmin Godbold2 and Martin Solan2, (1)University of Southampton, Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory, School of Electronics and Computer Science, Southampton, United Kingdom, (2)University of Southampton, School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton, United Kingdom
 
A Numerical Modeling Approach to Study the Accumulated Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms on Regional Ocean Properties. (2037333)
Sonaljit Mukherjee1, Jun She2, Jens Murawski1 and Vilnis Frisfelds1, (1)Danish Meteorological Institute, København Ø, Denmark, (2)Danish Meteorological Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
 
Modelling the effects of offshore wind farms on primary production over a decade (2037928)
Arianna Zampollo1, Rory Benedict O'Hara Murray2, Michela De Dominicis3, William Macdonald2, Jennifer Jardine4 and Beth E Scott5, (1)University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (2)Scottish Government Marine Directorate, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (3)National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (4)National Oceanography Center, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (5)The University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
 
Redistribution of sediments and habitats around offshore wind farms (2038187)
Chris Unsworth1, Connor James McCarron2, Richard J.S. Whitehouse3, Thomas D.G. Benson2, Lisa Skein4, Mike A. Clare5, Veerle Huvenne4, Katrien J.J. Van Landeghem1 and Martin J Austin6, (1)Bangor University, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor, United Kingdom, (2)HR Wallingford, Wallingford, United Kingdom, (3)HR Wallingford, Coasts & Estuaries Group, Wallingford, United Kingdom, (4)National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, United Kingdom, (5)National Oceanography Center, Southampton, United Kingdom, (6)Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
 
Turbid wakes in offshore wind farms : New insights from field data in the North Sea challenge our understanding of the phenomenon (2038554)
Céline Taymans, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Suspended material and seabed monitoring and modelling (SUMO) group, OD Nature, Brussel, Belgium and Tom FO De Mulder Ir P, Ghent University, Civil engineering, Gent, Belgium
 
Hydrodynamic Effects of Offshore Wind Farm Energy Extraction: Parametrising Wake Effects in FVCOM Using Engineering Wake Models (2038837)
Diego Araya1, Arianna Zampollo2, Beth E Scott3, Tim Stallard1, Rory Benedict O'Hara Murray4 and William Macdonald4, (1)University of Manchester, School of Engineering, Manchester, United Kingdom, (2)University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (3)The University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (4)Scottish Government Marine Directorate, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
 
Physics-to-Ecosystem Level Assessment of Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in Stratified Waters: The Overview of Outcomes from the PELAgIO Project. (2039284)
Beth E Scott1, Nicola Beaumont2, Morgane Declerck3, Michela De Dominicis4, Alejandro Gallego5, Jennifer Jardine6, William Macdonald7, Aly McCluskie8, Rory Benedict O'Hara Murray7, Matthew R Palmer2, Julie Salvetat9, William Schneider10, Timothy James Smyth11, Claire Szostek2, Neda Trifonova3, James Waggitt10, Stephen C.L. Watson Dr12, Juliane Wihsgott2, Charlotte Anne June Williams4, Benjamin Williamson13 and Arianna Zampollo3, (1)The University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (2)Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, United Kingdom, (3)University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (4)National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (5)Marine Directorate, Scottish Government, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (6)National Oceanography Center, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (7)Scottish Government Marine Directorate, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, (8)RSPB, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, (9)UNITED STATES, (10)Bangor University, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor, United Kingdom, (11)Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, Devon, UNITED KINGDOM, (12)Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Marine Ecology and Society, Plymouth, United Kingdom, (13)University of the Highlands and Islands, Environmental Research Institute, Thurso, United Kingdom
 
Parameterization of the density mixing due to wake turbulence past offshore wind turbine foundations and its application to the North Sea (2041357)
Nobuhiro Suzuki, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Institute of Coastal Ocean Dynamics, Geesthacht, Germany; Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology, Climate Variability Department, Hamburg, Germany and Jeffrey Carpenter, Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon, Institute of Coastal Ocean Dynamics, Geesthacht, Germany
 
Beyond the Turbine Footprint: Offshore Wind Wake Effects on Marine Ecosystems in the northern North Sea (2042532)
Solfrid Sætre S. Hjøllo1, Jon Albretsen2, Kai Christensen3, Morten Dahlberg Skogen1, Marte Louise Strømme Sr4 and Henning Wehde Sr4, (1)Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway, (2)Institute of Marine Research, Norway, Arendal, Norway, (3)Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Ocean and Ice, Oslo, Norway, (4)Institute of Marine Research Bergen, Bergen, Norway
 
Localized and Temporary Vessel Traffic Changes from Offshore Wind Development on the United States East Coast Pose Limited Risk to Large Whales (2044925)
Ana Bishop1,2, Erin Meyer-Gutbrod3, Prof. Doug Nowacek, PhD2,4 and Andrew Read2, (1)UNITED STATES, (2)Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, United States, (3)University of South Carolina, School of the Earth, Ocean & Environment, Columbia, United States, (4)Pratt School of Engineering, Beaufort, United States
 
Offshore wind Development in the Northeast U.S. Shelf: A Tale of Stratification and Plankton Distribution (2047371)
Paola G. Batta-Lona1, Michael M Whitney2, Jessica Vorse2, Meg Shah2, Bridget Holohan2 and Evan Ward2, (1)University of Connecticut, Marine Sciences, Groton, CT, United States, (2)University of Connecticut, Marine Sciences, Groton, United States