Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8 9000, Gent, Belgium.
Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S8 9000, Gent, Belgium; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Vautierstraat 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium.
Mar Environ Res. 2023 Jun;188:106009. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106009. Epub 2023 Apr 28.
In this study, "artificial reef" (AR) impacts of offshore windfarms (OWFs) on the surrounding soft-sediments were investigated. Benthic grab samples were collected at nearby (37.5 m) and distant (500 or 350 m) positions from turbines of two Belgian OWFs (Belwind: monopiles and C-Power: jackets). Higher macrobenthos abundance and species richness were found nearby jacket foundations of C-Power compared to distant positions and differences were most pronounced within deeper sediments (i.e., gullies between sandbanks) at intermediate levels of fine sand fractions (10-20%) and total organic matter (0.5-0.9%). Strong benthic enrichment (>1000 ind. m, >20 spp. sample) was also linked with higher fine sand fractions (>20%) near the jackets. Moreover, nearby sediments showed higher occurrences of coastal species and habitat diversification was promoted by Mytilus edulis shell debris and alive organisms ("biofouling drop-offs"). The lack of similar results around monopiles (Belwind) confirms that the extent of detectable AR-effects depends on site- and turbine specific factors.
本研究调查了海上风电场（OWFs）的“人工鱼礁”（AR）对周围软底沉积物的影响。在两个比利时 OWFs（Belwind：单桩和 C-Power：导管架）的涡轮机附近（37.5 m）和远处（500 或 350 m）采集了底栖抓斗样本。与远处位置相比，C-Power 导管架基础附近的大型底栖动物丰度和物种丰富度更高，差异在较深沉积物（即沙洲之间的沟壑）中最为明显，其中细砂分数（10-20%）和总有机物质（0.5-0.9%）处于中等水平。在导管架附近，高浓度的底栖生物富集（>1000 个个体 m，>20 种样本）也与较高的细砂分数（>20%）有关。此外，附近的沉积物中出现了更多的沿海物种，并且贻贝壳碎片和活体生物（“生物污垢”）促进了栖息地多样化。在单桩（Belwind）周围没有类似的结果，这证实了可检测的 AR 效应的程度取决于站点和涡轮机的具体因素。
