Wind Farms May Hurt Sea Life, Say Scientists
Nov 16 - Sunday Sun - Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Wind farms could be having a radical impact on North Sea wildlife, a new
study warns.
There are currently 167 operational wind turbines off the North Coast, with
another 14 under construction, as part of the Government's drive for
renewable energy sources.
The first of 60 giant wind turbines has just gone up in the Solway off the
Maryport coast and permission has just been granted for a new offshore wind
farm off the Cumbria coast, west of Duddon Sands.
But experts believe the farms could be upsetting the ecosystem.
In a paper published this month in the Journal of Marine Systems, Goran
Brostrom, of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, warns that generating
power at sea threatens marine life.
He says winds swirling near such farms distort ocean currents as they blow
over water.
He said: "I think you will see a large effect over time and you will get
more plankton booming because it can cause nutrient-rich waters to rise up
from the depths."
Plankton booms are infamous for causing toxic red tide and for sucking
oxygen out of the water. Another expert, Michael Dvorak, of Stanford
University, said: "People have been looking at the climate effects of wind
farms on land, but this is the first to bring up the question of ocean
currents."
Charles Anglin, communications director for the British Wind Energy
Authority, said: "This is just a theoretical study.
We have a two-year process of environmental studies simply to identify
potential sites.
"Once the site has been allocated the developers carry out their own study
on the local marine environment for one or two years.
"Only then is permission to build considered."
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