This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: New research within the PELAgIO ECOWind project has revealed how offshore wind farms can influence ocean temperatures and mixing, and why their effects depend on local conditions. As offshore wind farms become an increasing part of the U.K.'s renewable energy future, scientists are working to better understand how they interact with the marine environment.
A team of scientists, led by NOC's Michela De Dominicis, has found that while offshore wind turbine structures can alter ocean mixing and temperature, their effects depend strongly on the surrounding conditions. Using a combination of advanced computer modeling and real-world observations collected at Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, Scotland's largest offshore wind farm, researchers investigated how turbine foundations influence the movement of water in the ocean. The modeling results, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest that the underwater structures can enhance the natural mixing of seawater, bringing cooler water toward the surface and warmer water toward the seabed.
In the model simulations, turbine-related mixing was associated with reductions in summer sea surface temperatures of around 0.1°C to 0.3°C within and around the wind farm. During the modeled 2023 marine heat wave conditions, cooling exceeded 0.5°C in some locations. But the study shows there is not just one type of offshore wind farm effect.
Instead, the type and level of impact depend on factors such as the season, tidal conditions and how layered the water column is. Some areas are much more sensitive to additional mixing than others, particularly transitional zones between mixed and stratified waters. De Dominicis, senior research scientist at NOC and lead author, said, "Offshore wind farm structures can increase mixing in the ocean, but this does not always lead to changes that we can easily detect.
Environmental conditions determine when and where these effects are strongest. "By combining computer models with field measurements, we can identify when and where these changes are most likely to be detectable, and which areas are most sensitive to change. This could contribute evidence to future offshore wind site planning, as well as help to inform the design and environmental monitoring." The research may help to explain why previous studies have sometimes struggled to identify clear changes caused by offshore wind farms.
In many cases, the effects can be similar in size to natural variations in the ocean, making them difficult to detect. To overcome this challenge, the team—including researchers from NOC, the University of Aberdeen and the Scottish Government Marine Directorate—combined field measurements with numerical models. The models helped identify when and where offshore wind farm impacts were most likely to occur, while observations collected by oceanographic instruments and autonomous gliders were used to assess and support the modeled findings.
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