An Adaptive Framework for Selecting Environmental Monitoring Protocols to Support Ocean Renewable Energy Development
Table 8
A description of the potential impacts resulting from projects harnessing wave energy. 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.
(i6) Wave energy projects
Priority
Major impacts
Certainty
Benthic habitat and resources
(i) Changes in hydrodynamics
(i) Medium
(ii) Scour and/or deposition
(ii) High
Fish species and fishing activity*
Loss of access to grounds during construction and operation (mobile gear)
High
Component
Moderate impacts
Certainty
Benthic habitat and resources
(i) Resuspension of pollutants in sediments
(i) Low
(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 pre-construction seismic surveys
(iii) Medium
(iv) EMF
(iv) Low
(v) Habitat/community composition alteration
(v) Medium
(vi) Decreased catchability during construction/operation
(vi) Medium
(vii) Loss of access to grounds during construction and operation (fixed gear and recreational)
(vii) High
(viii) Changes in species distribution
(viii) Medium
(ix) Damaged/lost gear
(ix) High
Avian species
(i) Displacement/attraction to structure above water surface
(i) Medium
(ii) Leakage of lubricants/fluids, release of maintenance chemicals
(ii) Medium
(iii) Large chemical spills
(iii) 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
*Denotes that higher priority may be given to this component due to national/regional/local regulatory objectives and obligation.
