Presentations

Abstract

The work to be presented highlights the importance of performing systematic studies and developing new monitoring technologies to narrow knowledge gaps on biodiversity impacts of offshore wind development. The presentation summarizes the findings of several studies related to the environmental impact from Hywind Scotland and of the Hywind Tampen floating wind farm, the largest of its kind in the world, located off the Norwegian coast. The studies investigated the impact of the wind farm on pelagic fish and plankton, bird activity, water column organisms, and microplastics in sediment samples. The use of cameras and artificial intelligence to monitor bird activity offshore was found to be a promising method for gathering high-volume, and long-term data on bird activity. The study of water column organisms was performed using an environmental DNA molecular approach The analysis of microplastics in sediment samples collected after six years of operations of Hywind Scotland showed no detectable presence of microplastics contamination from coating materials used for the rotor blades or from the leading-edge protection materials. These data and monitoring methods will contribute to ensuring responsible development and operation of offshore wind.