An ambitious new project aims to explore the consequences of floating offshore wind farms (FLOW) on life throughout the marine food chain. The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is participating in the work, and offers more detail here.

The FRONTLINE project will employ state-of-the-art technologies – including autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), satellite remote sensing, digital video aerial surveys and seabird and fisheries tracking – to investigate how the rapid expansion of FLOW and climate warming is likely to affect oceanographic processes and marine life.

The study will gather data from the Celtic Sea, identified by the UK Government – alongside the North Sea – as a prime location for accelerating offshore wind infrastructure.

The aim will be to reveal if and how the rapid expansion of FLOW installations in these new sites may directly or indirectly impact on marine processes and biodiversity via ocean fronts.

The £3.5million project – funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) via the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and The Crown Estate – is being led by Heriot-Watt University, working with a consortium of experts from universities and other scientific organisations across the UK.

That includes researchers from the University of Plymouth, who will contribute extensive experience in monitoring the oceanographic impacts of ocean structures and using autonomous technologies to study the marine environment.

Within the project, the MBA and University of Plymouth are jointly leading AUV deployments in the Celtic Sea. These will be used to investigate key ecosystem drivers, from physical ocean features such as fronts to biological hotspots like plankton blooms and foraging fish at the bottom of the ocean food web.Leveraging NERC’s Autosub Long Range 1500 – famously known as Boaty McBoatface and unique in its ability to operate in strong tidal flows for weeks at a time – they will enhance its capabilities with digital plankton imaging technology developed at the University of Plymouth.

This innovation will complement a comprehensive suite of environmental sensors, providing a more mechanistic understanding of ocean ecosystem change.

Professor Alex Nimmo-Smith, Professor of Marine Science & Technology at the University of Plymouth, said: “This project comes at a crucial time as, in spite of the expected increase in FLOW activities, our understanding of ecological ocean dynamics in the Celtic Sea remains limited. By equipping the Autosub Long Range with a unique suite of diverse sensors, we will be demonstrating the ability of autonomous systems to enhance our appreciation of these factors safely and in a cost-efficient manner with no impact on the challenging environments of the Celtic Sea.”

Dr Lilian Lieber, a Research Fellow working at both the University of Plymouth and the MBA, added: “Our joint development of cutting-edge plankton imaging sensors, combined with mapping ocean physics and fish schools in the water column, will greatly advance our understanding of key ecosystem drivers in the Celtic Sea. This will improve our ability to predict the consequences of deploying new offshore floating wind infrastructure.”

Enhancing understanding of ocean fronts
Ocean fronts are renowned hotspots for seasonal plankton blooms, commercial fisheries and marine predators however little is known about the impact of FLOW on these ecosystem dynamics.

This study aims to bridge that knowledge gap, providing insights to guide measures that protect marine ecosystems amid the increasing demands on our oceans. The findings will also help ensure that the rapid expansion of offshore wind farms, vital for achieving global net-zero targets, is delivered sustainably.

Professor Stephen Votier, expert in Seabird Ecology at the Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt’s Global Research Institute for Earth and Marine Sciences, is leading the project. He said: “Floating offshore wind farms have the potential to accelerate global net zero targets however less is known about the ecological consequences, from ocean physics to biodiversity. By focusing our team’s expertise on ocean fronts, which play a vital role in driving marine productivity and climate cycling, the FRONTLINE project will improve understanding of how physical structures could affect plankton and forage fish dynamics, with knock-on effects on marine predators and commercial fisheries.”