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As demand for renewable energy rises, offshore wind will be moving further away from shore. Technology for floating turbines makes deep-water expansion possible. However, for the first time, large areas of the UK continental shelf now open for development are “seasonally stratified”. David AttenboroughThese seas are among the most biologically productive on Earth, according to a study by Dr. John S. Reilly. They cover only 7% of the ocean but are thought to make up between 5% and 10%. 10% and 30%The life below the food web.
Dorrell et al (2022), Author provided
Our survey New researchOne benefit of deep-sea winds farming is that the foundations for these floating turbines could help reverse climate change.
Seasonally stratified seas are water that is completely mixed in winter but separated into layers in spring. Warm sunlit water forms over the colder water below. The formation of this “stratification” during spring triggers a massive explosion of marine life as phytoplankton (microscopic algae) blooms in the warm surface waters, forming the base of a food chain which ultimately supports fish, seabirds and whales.
The plankton bloom quickly exhausts the nutrients in the sunlit layer. After that point, growth is dependent on nutrients being stirred up from deep water by turbulence caused by winds, tides, and waves.
This turbulence stirs nutrients and also stirs oxygen downIn the darker, deeper layers Dead animals and plantsSink and rot. Since oxygen is needed for things to decay, this mixing helps this “marine snow” to rot, transforming it back into useful nutrients.
Our shelf seas could be wiped out by climate change
udaix / shutterstock
Stratification is necessary because of the changing climate You can start earlier in the calendar yearPlankton is in full bloom Spring earlierOut of sync, with the life cycles larger animals. During summer, stratification takes place Expected to riseThis is a change that has been well documented in the open ocean.
Increasing stratification will decrease the ability of natural turbulent to stir up vital nutrients deep in the warm water surface layer. This will lead to a decrease in their effectiveness. Ability to sustain marine ecosystems.
As the ocean heats, its ability to hold oxygen decreases, which could lead to low water quality.
Wind farms are where they come in. Wind turbines that are placed in deeper waters, where the ocean is stratified by waves, will create an artificial source of turbulence. The wakes created by water flowing past floating turbine foundations will cause the warm and cool layers to mix. We have actually published this article. ResearchThe wake from foundations is at least twice as turbulent mixing in the region of an off-shore wind farm.
Dorrell et al (2022), Author provided
This increased turbulence may help to offset the effects of climate changes on stratification. It could also increase the supply of nutrients to surface layers and oxygen to deep waters. Similar. It already happens around underwater banks, which is why very productive fisheries are often found in places like Dogger Bank in the North Sea or the Grand Banks of Newfoundland – shallow points where different layers of the ocean have been mixed together.
Offshore wind could be a great way to help seasonally stratified oceans become more productive, biodiverse, and support more fish. This could make it possible to save these ecosystems from the worst effects climate change has on them by planning turbine design and wind farms.
