Hermans Annemiek, Winter Hendrik V, Gill Andrew B, Murk Albertinka J
Marine Animal Ecology Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. 68, 1970 AB, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
Environ Pollut. 2024 Apr 1;346:123570. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123570. Epub 2024 Feb 14.
Subsea power cables cause electromagnetic fields (EMFs) into the marine environment. Elasmobranchs (rays, skates, sharks) are particularly sensitive to EMFs as they use electromagnetic-receptive sensory systems for orientation, navigation, and locating conspecifics or buried prey. Cables may intersect with egg laying sites, mating, pupping, and nursery grounds, foraging habitat and migration routes of elasmobranchs and the effects of encountering EMFs on species of elasmobranchs are largely unknown. Demonstrated behavioural effects are attraction, disturbance and indifference, depending on EMF characteristics, exposed life stage, exposure level and duration. We estimated exposure levels of elasmobranchs to subsea power cable EMFs, based on modelled magnetic fields in the Dutch Continental Shelf and compared these to reported elasmobranch sensory sensitivity ranges and experimental effect levels. We conclude that the risk from subsea power cables has a large uncertainty and varies per life stage and species ecology. Based on estimated no-observed effect levels (from 10 to 10 μT) we discuss what will probably be the most affected species and life stage for six common benthic elasmobranchs in the Southern North Sea. We then identify critical knowledge gaps for reducing the uncertainty in the risk assessments for EMFs effects on benthic elasmobranchs.
海底电缆会在海洋环境中产生电磁场（EMF）。软骨鱼类（鳐鱼、鳐、鲨鱼）对电磁场特别敏感，因为它们利用电磁感应的感官系统进行定向、导航以及寻找同种个体或埋在沙中的猎物。电缆可能会与软骨鱼类的产卵地、交配地、产仔地、育幼场、觅食栖息地和洄游路线相交，而接触电磁场对软骨鱼类物种的影响在很大程度上尚不清楚。根据电磁场的特性、暴露的生命阶段、暴露水平和持续时间，已证实的行为影响包括吸引、干扰和无反应。我们根据荷兰大陆架的模拟磁场估计了软骨鱼类对海底电缆电磁场的暴露水平，并将其与已报道的软骨鱼类感官敏感度范围和实验效应水平进行了比较。我们得出结论，海底电缆带来的风险具有很大的不确定性，并且因生命阶段和物种生态而异。基于估计的无观察到效应水平（10至10微特斯拉），我们讨论了北海南部六种常见底栖软骨鱼类中可能受影响最大的物种和生命阶段。然后，我们确定了关键的知识空白，以减少电磁场对底栖软骨鱼类影响的风险评估中的不确定性。
