Quantifying the effects of tidal turbine array operations on the distribution of marine mammals: Implications for collision risk

Onoufriou, Joe; Russell, Debbie J. F.; Thompson, David; Moss, Simon; Hastie, Gordon D.

doi:10.1016/j.renene.2021.08.052

Cited by 20 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Noise levels from the operation of ME devices are generally not anticipated to be high enough to cause injury or hearing loss in marine mammals [1]. Behavioral responses such as avoidance are possible [78][79][80]; this is especially relevant for device arrays, where population-scale effects could occur if noise originates in or near foraging, breeding, or migratory areas [81]. Masking of intraspecific communication or signals of predators or prey is another way in which anthropogenic noise can alter behavior [82].…”

Section: Underwater Noisementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agent-based models require detailed information about both general behaviors (e.g., swimming, diving, foraging) and responses to noise. Information about the latter is relatively scarce; passive acoustic monitoring of harbor porpoises and satellite telemetry of harbor seals have shown reduced density of individuals within the audibility range of operating turbines [79,80], but determining the specific cause of behaviors is complex.…”

Section: Species-effects Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Marine mammal behavioral responses to pile-driving noise have been monitored using satellite telemetry [78,118] or monitoring of communication such as porpoise clicks [117,125]. More recently, telemetry and acoustic monitoring have been used to monitor movement relative to tidal turbines [13,79,80]. Tagging or other monitoring protocols requiring direct interactions or extensive observations with marine mammals can be resource-intensive and may be regulated [13,120].…”

Section: Monitoring and Model Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Information about response behavior is scarce because there have been few operating ME devices, observing behavior near them is difficult, and observing behavior around larger arrays has not yet been possible. Recent studies monitoring porpoises and seals near small tidal turbine arrays have experienced limitations such as a lack of data before turbine installation or during multiple seasons and the inability to distinguish between individuals [79,80]. It is yet unknown how much device design and location affect behavior and thus how much species response data can be generalized.…”

Section: Model Information Requirements and Uncertaintiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

A Review of Modeling Approaches for Understanding and Monitoring the Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy

Buenau

Garavelli

Hemery

et al. 2022

JMSE

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Understanding the environmental effects of marine energy (ME) devices is fundamental for their sustainable development and efficient regulation. However, measuring effects is difficult given the limited number of operational devices currently deployed. Numerical modeling is a powerful tool for estimating environmental effects and quantifying risks. It is most effective when informed by empirical data and coordinated with the development and implementation of monitoring protocols. We reviewed modeling techniques and information needs for six environmental stressor–receptor interactions related to ME: changes in oceanographic systems, underwater noise, electromagnetic fields (EMFs), changes in habitat, collision risk, and displacement of marine animals. This review considers the effects of tidal, wave, and ocean current energy converters. We summarized the availability and maturity of models for each stressor–receptor interaction and provide examples involving ME devices when available and analogous examples otherwise. Models for oceanographic systems and underwater noise were widely available and sometimes applied to ME, but need validation in real-world settings. Many methods are available for modeling habitat change and displacement of marine animals, but few examples related to ME exist. Models of collision risk and species response to EMFs are still in stages of theory development and need more observational data, particularly about species behavior near devices, to be effective. We conclude by synthesizing model status, commonalities between models, and overlapping monitoring needs that can be exploited to develop a coordinated and efficient set of protocols for predicting and monitoring the environmental effects of ME.

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Section: Underwater Noisementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Species-effects Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Monitoring and Model Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Model Information Requirements and Uncertaintiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A Review of Modeling Approaches for Understanding and Monitoring the Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy

Buenau

Garavelli

Hemery

et al. 2022

JMSE

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“…Seal species in UK waters (gray seals and harbor seals) produce vocalizations infrequently or only in specific behavioral contexts such that PAM is not a reliable option for detecting and tracking seals underwater in high resolution. Onoufriou et al (2021) showed that harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) tagged with GPS telemetry tags avoided a turbine array when it was operational, leading to reduced collision risk. Importantly however, data from the telemetry tags do not provide information on the underwater movements of seals at a sufficient resolution to measure their close-range interactions with the turbine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Mammal HiCUP: A High Current Underwater Platform for the Long-Term Monitoring of Fine-Scale Marine Mammal Behavior Around Tidal Turbines

et al. 2022

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Arrays of tidal turbines are being considered for tidally energetic coastal sites which can be important habitat for many species of marine mammal. Understanding risks to marine mammals from collisions with moving turbine blades must be overcome before regulators can issue licenses for many developments. To understand these risks, it is necessary to understand how animals move around operational turbines and to document the rate at which interactions occur. We report on the design, and performance, of a seabed mounted sensor platform for monitoring the fine scale movements of cetaceans and pinnipeds around operational tidal turbines. The system comprises two high-frequency multibeam active sonars, which can accurately track animals in the horizontal plane. By offsetting the vertical angle of the sonars, the relative intensity of targets on the two sonars can also be used to resolve a vertical component of the animal location. For regularly vocalizing species, i.e., small cetaceans, a tetrahedral array of high frequency hydrophones mounted close to the sonars is used to measure both horizontal and vertical angles to cetacean echolocation clicks. This provides additional localization and tracking information for cetaceans and can also be used to distinguish between pinnipeds and cetaceans detected in the sonar data, based on the presence or absence of echolocation clicks. The system is cabled to shore for power, data transfer, and communications using turbine infrastructure. This allows for continuous operation over many months or years, which will be required to capture what may be rare interactions. The system was tested during a series of multi-week field tests, designed to test system integrity, carry out system calibrations, and test the efficiency of data collection, analyses, and archiving procedures. Overall, the system proved highly reliable, with the PAM system providing bearing accuracies to synthetic sounds of around 4.2 degrees for echolocation clicks with a signal to noise ratio above 15 dB. The system will be deployed close to an operational turbine in early 2022.

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Underwater Noise of Two Operational Tidal Stream Turbines: A Comparison

Risch,

Marmo,

van Geel

et al. 2023

The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life

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Quantifying the effects of tidal turbine array operations on the distribution of marine mammals: Implications for collision risk

Cited by 20 publications

References 36 publications

A Review of Modeling Approaches for Understanding and Monitoring the Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy

A Review of Modeling Approaches for Understanding and Monitoring the Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy

Marine Mammal HiCUP: A High Current Underwater Platform for the Long-Term Monitoring of Fine-Scale Marine Mammal Behavior Around Tidal Turbines

Underwater Noise of Two Operational Tidal Stream Turbines: A Comparison

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