An Adaptive Framework for Selecting Environmental Monitoring Protocols to Support Ocean Renewable Energy Development
Table 4
A description of the potential impacts resulting from wind turbine projects involving pile driving. See text, Section 3.3, for a narrative summary of this development scenario. Ecosystem components are ranked by their proportion of the major impacts. Moderate impacts are listed in the order they appear in the renewable energy impact matrix.
(i2) Wind turbines involving pile driving
Priority
Major impacts
Certainty
Fish species and fishing activity
Loss of access to grounds during construction and operation (mobile gear)
High
Avian species*
Displacement or attraction to structure above water surface
High
Benthic habitat and resources
Scour and/or deposition
High
Marine mammals and sea turtles*
Noise from pile driving
Medium
Component
Moderate impacts
Certainty
Benthic habitat and resources
(i) Resuspension of pollutants in sediments
(i) High
(ii) Chemical spills, discharge
(ii) Medium
(iii) Disturbance from installation of cable
(iii) Medium
(iv) Changes to current/wave regime
(iv) Medium
Fish species and fishing activity
(i) Chemical spills
(i) Medium
(ii) Operational noise
(ii) Medium
(iii) Noise from preconstruction seismic surveys
(iii) Medium
(iv) Noise from pile driving
(iv) Medium
(v) Noise from pile cutting during device removal
(v) Medium
(vi) EMF
(vi) Low
(vii) Habitat/community composition alteration
(vii) Medium
(viii) Decreased catchability during construction and operation
(viii) Medium
(ix) Loss of access to grounds during construction and operation (fixed gear and recreational)
(ix) High
(x) Changes in species distribution
(x) Low
(xi) Damaged/lost gear
(xi) High
Avian species
(i) Displacement or attraction to structure below water surface
(i) Medium
(ii) Collision with rotating turbine blades
(ii) High
(iii) Pressure gradients around rotor
(iii) Medium
(iv) Leakage of lubricants/fluids, release of maintenance chemicals
(iv) Medium
(v) Large chemical spills
(v) High
Marine mammals and sea turtles
(i) Entanglement with mooring lines or cables
(i) Medium
(ii) Strikes with installation or support vessels
(ii) High
(iii) Operational noise
(iii) Medium
(iv) Noise from pile cutting during device removal
(iv) High
*Denotes that higher priority may be given to this component due to national/regional/local regulatory objectives and obligation.
