There is no doubt that building offshore wind turbines affects marine life. But what exactly are the effects and what can we learn from them? To provide insight, a new remote-controlled tool has been designed to sample the biological growth on offshore wind turbine foundations.
To survey marine growth safely and efficiently on offshore wind turbine foundations in the North Sea, Bluestream collaborated with Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) to develop the remotely controlled Marine Growth Sampling Tool. In early stages, the foundation substrates are covered by algae and various sea creatures. Over time, the number of small sea creatures attaching to the substrate and the algae increases. Previously, this type of research was carried out by SCUBA divers, a method that has become increasingly difficult due to strict laws and regulations, health and safety rules, and the high costs associated with it.
Vattenfall was able to make one of the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm foundations available for the study due to the fact that in January 2022, during a storm, the Julietta D vessel collided with the wind turbine foundation that was under construction, rendering it unusable. The turbine was removed, but the foundation was left behind.
Marine life research
Joop Coolen, researcher at WMR, explains why such research on marine life is necessary: "We investigate the composition of marine species on hard substrates, not only wrecks and stones lying on the bottom of the North Sea, but also gas platform and wind turbine foundations. Various species settle on hard surfaces rather than in sandy environments, leading to different biological processes. We strive to understand how these processes evolve over time and what their role is in the ecosystem, where living organisms interact with their non-living environment."
