Offshore wind farm effects on ocean fronts and seabirds

Offshore windfarms (OWFs) will have important consequences for marine ecosystems, although indirect effects are virtually unknown. For instance, OWF construction and operation may impact ocean front formation, which are important foraging habitats for some species (Scales et al. 2014a).

Our project unites ecologists and remote sensing scientists to understand how OWF may alter ocean fronts and how this impacts seabird foraging behaviour. We will examine this in tracked northern gannets (Morus bassanus), a species which forages facultatively at ocean fronts (Scales et al. 2014; Cox et al. 2016). Our objectives are as follows:

Objective 1. To test for changes in ocean fronts before and after wind farm construction, focussing on remotely sensed front mapping of the North Sea. Objective 2. Quantify gannet foraging success in relation to ocean fronts.

Objective 3. Using a Before After Control Impact (BACI) design, compare gannet foraging success in relation to ocean fronts between two colonies, one with wind farm in construction/operation (Bass Rock) and one with no wind farms during the study (Grassholm).

This interdisciplinary project is at the interface of remote-sensing science and marine ecology/conservation while also exploiting computational science and by expanding linkages between marine spatial planning.