IMPACTS: "Offshore Wind Farm Artificial Reefs Affect Ecosystem Structure and Functioning: A Synthesis" - Degraer et al., 2020
Offshore wind farms not only transform Europe's energy landscape but also profoundly affect the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. The article “Offshore Wind Artificial Reefs Affect Ecosystem Structure and Functioning: A Synthesis” by Degraer et al. (2020) provides a comprehensive and systematic synthesis of the ecological changes triggered by offshore wind power infrastructure functioning as artificial reef systems – offering new perspectives on the ecosystem-level implications of this technology.
The authors compile a broad range of empirical studies from the North Sea and analyse how monopile foundations and rock dumps contribute to the settlement of species-rich biocoenoses, restructure trophic relationships, and alter material fluxes within benthic–pelagic coupling. The findings clearly show that offshore wind farms, as technogenic structures, not only create new habitats on a local scale but also exert far-reaching effects on functional ecosystem processes such as energy flow, bioproduction, and carbon sequestration.
Degraer et al. advocate for a functional perspective on offshore wind farms that goes beyond species conservation alone. They call for the systematic integration of ecological functions – such as habitat formation, food web integration, and biogeochemistry – into the planning, operation, and decommissioning of offshore wind infrastructure. This article represents a significant milestone in the development of ecosystem-based management for marine energy landscapes and provides an essential foundation for environmental policy decisions concerning the future of decommissioning.