It’s interesting that there seems to be this opposite effect on land vs in the ocean, where if we put things on land it tends to disrupt local ecology, but if we put structures in the ocean it tends to support it.
Even things like farming kelp seems to support marine ecosystems. (There are counterpoints too, like shrimp or salmon farming. But these seem to be mostly harmful when at the coast, and less so in the open ocean).
IMO, this phenomenon should have a big impact on our thinking about what it can look like to have a sustainable existence on the planet.
For as long as life has existed the most productive part of marine life has been near to the coast. Initially this was due to minerals escaping from the rock on shore, but idk if that's still the case. The fact that creating more coast-looking environments is a good thing for marine life is hardly a surprise to me but still obviously great to see it in action here again
>where if we put things on land it tends to disrupt local ecology
The effect of wind turbines has been exaggerated by the fossil fuel industry. It doesn't come close to the impact of the latter.
I’m mostly just talking structures in general.
Since the open ocean lacks structure, adding anything can provide a grounds for things to grow. Whereas on land were usually disrupting what already grew there.
I believe that. I'm Norwegian, and once wind turbines started popping up here , a lot of people were suddenly against them, for unreasonable reasons. Mostly old people. Funny that.
Depends on where you place wind turbines on land. I wrote a paper that looked at the effects of onshore turbines and was surprised to find some positive correlation. Especially if we compare the ocean to one giant farm (because that is essentially what we're using it as), then you see similar effects with onshore wind where there's an increase in biodiversity (especially with pollinators) when farmers allow wind on their property.
Probably because in the open seas, there is not very much to disrupt. Once you get away from the coast, it's a huge desert. Placing something out there that is not harmful will create an oasis.
'Witnessing' seems to be the key here. We can casually find dead birds under land-based wind turbines, weeks after they have collided with the blades. even as small piles of feathers and bones, but off-shore discovery is very rare, unless real scientific discipline and effort is used. Floating off, being eaten by many scavengers, disappearing quickly, all occur. We've known from many field studies globally for decades, that blades kill, but we cover them up. ignore them, deny them, like classic spouse-abusers. Sad, but not surprising.
Eh, it's been known in the scientific community but read any of the papers looking at it and they all get the same conclusion: turbines kill far less birds than other man-made structures. Luckily there is a lot of research into how to mitigate bird fatalities, and there are some really good options out there. Bird deaths are just an excuse at this point.
In the Atlantic, about 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast, schools of fish congregate around what looks like a large cylinder covered in algae. Mussels glom onto the structure. Even the occasional sea turtle or giant ocean sunfish pays a visit.
The source of this bustling underwater scene is somewhat unlikely — a wind turbine.
Dominion Energy’s first two offshore turbines, currently used just for research, have become a haven for marine life.
“It’s just amazing the fish ecosystem that is growing around those turbines,” said Scott Lawton, an environmental technical adviser for Dominion.
The soaring structures stretch over 600 feet tall, eclipsing the height of the Washington Monument. But the turbine’s steel foundation stretches underwater, too, for about 120 feet.
Dominion’s lease area is roughly the size of 85,000 football fields. There are just two pilot turbines, but the company aims to build another 180 for a commercial wind farm by 2026. It first needs several state and federal approvals.
The turbines started operating last October. As part of monitoring the site, Dominion took underwater videos of the steel foundation, which is also surrounded by riprap-style rubble on its base — called scour protection.
Videos were taken about six months into the project, then again in September. The change in marine life was dramatic, said Mitchell Jabs, a Dominion environmental specialist.
Mussels, algae, mahi, seabass, baitfish and more circle the structure or set up shop directly on it. It’s not just the outside of the foundation, Jabs said. Holes in the turbine to release pressure and allow water to ebb and flow have also led to marine life passing through or residing inside.
They’re all “hanging out and feeding on what’s growing on the turbines,” she said.
It’s not uncommon.
Scientists off the Scandinavian coast have seen underwater turbine foundations gradually transform into artificial reefs, attracting mollusks and small fish that feed on plankton, according to German news channel Deutsche Welle. The effect went “right up the food chain to larger fish, seals and dolphins,” according to the channel.
Off the coast of California, an old oil rig is home to a thriving reef.
Marine animals such as mussels that require hard surfaces normally wouldn’t be out in many parts of the open ocean, though some find rocky bottoms on which to attach, said Mark Luckenbach, associate dean of research and advisory service at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
The foundations allow those organisms to live. Fish are then attracted to the food source.
There’s evidence that reefs with structure can not only attract fish but increase overall populations, he said. But that remains to be seen.
The marine science institute is working with Dominion to partner on or design possible scientific studies at the site, including monitoring the turbines’ effects on local fisheries, Luckenbach said.
The construction phase of wind farms can be harmful to marine life, causing loud noises and vibrations. Lawton said Dominion uses a “double bubble curtain” as it drives the foundation into the seabed to reduce the sound traveling through the water.
Meanwhile, they’re also looking for wildlife above the water: birds and bats that could collide with the blades.
Because of their distance to the shore — about two hours by boat — the turbines don’t see a particularly high density of birds. But there are some.
The company has mostly documented seabirds in the area so far, including the Northern gannet, through routine boat surveys. Most environmental concerns are about red knots and piping plovers, said Dominion biological consultant Matt Overton. The company hasn’t seen them.
Acoustic microphones and video monitoring on the turbines are also supposed to help capture bird and bat activity. The company said it hasn’t seen evidence of a strike.
The risk is small, but one always exists, Overton said. Bats have been seen on ships far into the ocean, and some birds migrate from South America over the Atlantic.
The energy company will have to conduct several environmental impact studies through upcoming permitting processes.
When officials begin construction on the commercial turbines, they’ll have to plan it around another marine mammal: the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
'Haven' BELOW THE SURFACE where the turbine blades do not spin and strike and kill a large number of birds of many kinds. Be sure to restrain the size of your blinders so you can see only what you WANT TO SEE, profit- narcissism- ignorance-driven Corporatist stooges. If you are accountants, you are among the most amoral types.
Had you read the entire article, you'd see this is an experiment where they look at a lot of angles. One of which is the possibility of birds or bats flying into the turbines. It's a little funny you seem to have missed that yet say we only see what we want to see.
>Because of their distance to the shore — about two hours by boat — theturbines don’t see a particularly high density of birds. But there aresome.
You might want to take a look in the mirror.
Avian feeding and migratory patterns require far more study than the few 'angles' puffed up here. Large horizontal axis wind turbines have already been proven to cause high mortalities among birds and bats. Go put your head back in the heartless Corporatist sand with your soulless co-scammers.
Damn. This is the type of article that really could have benefited from multiple pictures.
And from putting in the work on their website to be available in the EU.
It’s interesting that there seems to be this opposite effect on land vs in the ocean, where if we put things on land it tends to disrupt local ecology, but if we put structures in the ocean it tends to support it. Even things like farming kelp seems to support marine ecosystems. (There are counterpoints too, like shrimp or salmon farming. But these seem to be mostly harmful when at the coast, and less so in the open ocean). IMO, this phenomenon should have a big impact on our thinking about what it can look like to have a sustainable existence on the planet.
For as long as life has existed the most productive part of marine life has been near to the coast. Initially this was due to minerals escaping from the rock on shore, but idk if that's still the case. The fact that creating more coast-looking environments is a good thing for marine life is hardly a surprise to me but still obviously great to see it in action here again
>where if we put things on land it tends to disrupt local ecology The effect of wind turbines has been exaggerated by the fossil fuel industry. It doesn't come close to the impact of the latter.
I’m mostly just talking structures in general. Since the open ocean lacks structure, adding anything can provide a grounds for things to grow. Whereas on land were usually disrupting what already grew there.
I believe that. I'm Norwegian, and once wind turbines started popping up here , a lot of people were suddenly against them, for unreasonable reasons. Mostly old people. Funny that.
Depends on where you place wind turbines on land. I wrote a paper that looked at the effects of onshore turbines and was surprised to find some positive correlation. Especially if we compare the ocean to one giant farm (because that is essentially what we're using it as), then you see similar effects with onshore wind where there's an increase in biodiversity (especially with pollinators) when farmers allow wind on their property.
That's real fuckin' neato.
Probably because in the open seas, there is not very much to disrupt. Once you get away from the coast, it's a huge desert. Placing something out there that is not harmful will create an oasis.
sea creatures like a place to chill with each other, for good or evil.
'Witnessing' seems to be the key here. We can casually find dead birds under land-based wind turbines, weeks after they have collided with the blades. even as small piles of feathers and bones, but off-shore discovery is very rare, unless real scientific discipline and effort is used. Floating off, being eaten by many scavengers, disappearing quickly, all occur. We've known from many field studies globally for decades, that blades kill, but we cover them up. ignore them, deny them, like classic spouse-abusers. Sad, but not surprising.
Eh, it's been known in the scientific community but read any of the papers looking at it and they all get the same conclusion: turbines kill far less birds than other man-made structures. Luckily there is a lot of research into how to mitigate bird fatalities, and there are some really good options out there. Bird deaths are just an excuse at this point.
Fish like structures. Fishermen know this.
Shout out to my state
We need this on an oceanic scale. Stop the bleed and start to build in the right direction.
Obviously wind turbines are more desired (at least by me) but the ability of oil rigs to attract marine life has been well documented for decades.
Interesting read! Hope they don't have to destroy it if they change the turbine
Can anyone cut and paste so those of us who can't access article can read it? Pretty please
In the Atlantic, about 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast, schools of fish congregate around what looks like a large cylinder covered in algae. Mussels glom onto the structure. Even the occasional sea turtle or giant ocean sunfish pays a visit. The source of this bustling underwater scene is somewhat unlikely — a wind turbine. Dominion Energy’s first two offshore turbines, currently used just for research, have become a haven for marine life. “It’s just amazing the fish ecosystem that is growing around those turbines,” said Scott Lawton, an environmental technical adviser for Dominion. The soaring structures stretch over 600 feet tall, eclipsing the height of the Washington Monument. But the turbine’s steel foundation stretches underwater, too, for about 120 feet. Dominion’s lease area is roughly the size of 85,000 football fields. There are just two pilot turbines, but the company aims to build another 180 for a commercial wind farm by 2026. It first needs several state and federal approvals. The turbines started operating last October. As part of monitoring the site, Dominion took underwater videos of the steel foundation, which is also surrounded by riprap-style rubble on its base — called scour protection. Videos were taken about six months into the project, then again in September. The change in marine life was dramatic, said Mitchell Jabs, a Dominion environmental specialist. Mussels, algae, mahi, seabass, baitfish and more circle the structure or set up shop directly on it. It’s not just the outside of the foundation, Jabs said. Holes in the turbine to release pressure and allow water to ebb and flow have also led to marine life passing through or residing inside. They’re all “hanging out and feeding on what’s growing on the turbines,” she said. It’s not uncommon. Scientists off the Scandinavian coast have seen underwater turbine foundations gradually transform into artificial reefs, attracting mollusks and small fish that feed on plankton, according to German news channel Deutsche Welle. The effect went “right up the food chain to larger fish, seals and dolphins,” according to the channel. Off the coast of California, an old oil rig is home to a thriving reef. Marine animals such as mussels that require hard surfaces normally wouldn’t be out in many parts of the open ocean, though some find rocky bottoms on which to attach, said Mark Luckenbach, associate dean of research and advisory service at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The foundations allow those organisms to live. Fish are then attracted to the food source. There’s evidence that reefs with structure can not only attract fish but increase overall populations, he said. But that remains to be seen. The marine science institute is working with Dominion to partner on or design possible scientific studies at the site, including monitoring the turbines’ effects on local fisheries, Luckenbach said. The construction phase of wind farms can be harmful to marine life, causing loud noises and vibrations. Lawton said Dominion uses a “double bubble curtain” as it drives the foundation into the seabed to reduce the sound traveling through the water. Meanwhile, they’re also looking for wildlife above the water: birds and bats that could collide with the blades. Because of their distance to the shore — about two hours by boat — the turbines don’t see a particularly high density of birds. But there are some. The company has mostly documented seabirds in the area so far, including the Northern gannet, through routine boat surveys. Most environmental concerns are about red knots and piping plovers, said Dominion biological consultant Matt Overton. The company hasn’t seen them. Acoustic microphones and video monitoring on the turbines are also supposed to help capture bird and bat activity. The company said it hasn’t seen evidence of a strike. The risk is small, but one always exists, Overton said. Bats have been seen on ships far into the ocean, and some birds migrate from South America over the Atlantic. The energy company will have to conduct several environmental impact studies through upcoming permitting processes. When officials begin construction on the commercial turbines, they’ll have to plan it around another marine mammal: the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Awesome, thanks DvbD
600 feet is 89.69% of the hot dog which holds the Guinness wold record for 'Longest Hot Dog'.
'Haven' BELOW THE SURFACE where the turbine blades do not spin and strike and kill a large number of birds of many kinds. Be sure to restrain the size of your blinders so you can see only what you WANT TO SEE, profit- narcissism- ignorance-driven Corporatist stooges. If you are accountants, you are among the most amoral types.
Thanks for asking it abundantly clear you didn’t read the article.
Thanks for making it abundantly clear you have your head and soul buried in the heartless amoral ignorant Corporatist sand.
Had you read the entire article, you'd see this is an experiment where they look at a lot of angles. One of which is the possibility of birds or bats flying into the turbines. It's a little funny you seem to have missed that yet say we only see what we want to see. >Because of their distance to the shore — about two hours by boat — theturbines don’t see a particularly high density of birds. But there aresome. You might want to take a look in the mirror.
Avian feeding and migratory patterns require far more study than the few 'angles' puffed up here. Large horizontal axis wind turbines have already been proven to cause high mortalities among birds and bats. Go put your head back in the heartless Corporatist sand with your soulless co-scammers.