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Emily Wa ende June 20, 2025
Disen angling isks and oppo uni ies o o sho e wind
o ma ine ecosys ems
openaccessgo e nmen .o g/a icle/disen angling- isks-and-oppo uni ies-o -o sho e-wind- o -ma ine-
ecosys ems/194414
Figu e 1A. The ca bon low ood web model o he sou he n Skage ak comp ises 18 in e connec ed
compa men s, wi h link hicknesses p opo ional o he eeding p e e ences o he ecei ing g oup.
Icons indica e whe e o sho e wind-media ed e ec s a e inco po a ed in o he model. B. Model a ea
(1x1 km g id) in he sou he n Skage ak be ween Denma k and Sweden, cen ed a ound he planned
Poseidon o sho e wind a m (blue). C. Es ima ed ca bon con en o he model compa men s in he
yea 2000.
O sho e wind b ings new challenges alongside new oppo uni ies
o ma ine go e nance. Ecosys em models help o shed ligh on
he complex in e play be ween humans and na u e
When wa e s e ches as a as he eye can see, he assump ion lies nea ha he seas
a e in ini e. Howe e , wha seems endless, is o en al eady di ided among s akeholde s,
each wi h hei own in e es in he esou ces and oppo uni ies he oceans p o ide. In his
c owded and much-compe ed space, he a i al o o sho e enewable ene gy causes
addi ional ic ion among es ablished indus ies, such as shipping, ishe ies, ou ism o
na ional de ence, who each ea o hei sha e o he “blue cake”.
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Achie ing a ossil- ee u u e is a necessi y o comba and mi iga e clima e change. This
is no possible wi hou enewable ene gy, and inc eased use o o sho e wind is key o
eaching his goal. Conside ing he poo s a e o ou oceans, a cen al challenge is,
he e o e, o acili a e he expansion o he ene gy sec o , while a he same ime
mi iga ing con lic s wi h exis ing ope a ions and p o ec ing o e en o en es o ing ma ine
ecosys ems, which o m he basis o ou well-being.
Con e sa ion ins ead o isola ion
The Swedish ansdisciplina y p og am “Co-C ea ing Be e Blue” (Mis a C2B2) in ol es
academic and indus y pa ne s, as well as a numbe o compe en au ho i ies. To os e a
go e nance model by which we can na iga e a ound and di use con lic s, Mis a C2B2
engages s akeholde s in a dialogue a ound mu ually ag eed-upon challenges, hus
p o iding a pla o m (“Li ingLabs”) o ans o m and co-c ea e he u u e use o he sea.
E icien wo k on common isions and solu ions equi es a solid knowledge base, bu
when i comes o p ocesses below he sea su ace, he e is a lo we don’ know. One aim
o he p ojec is, he e o e, o imp o e ou unde s anding o how o sho e wind pa ks
impac he s uc u e and unc ioning o ma ine ecosys ems and biodi e si y in he long
e m. To ackle his, we a e applying a s a e-o - he-a , spa ial ecosys em ood web model
o he o sho e Skage ak in he eas e n pa o he No h Sea.
Make i complex – o no ?
A golden ule in modelling is o keep a model as simple as possible. Ne e heless, o
model wind pa ks in o sho e ecosys ems, a ce ain le el o complexi y is equi ed o
accoun o he nume ous di ec and indi ec e ec s on he ecological sys em. Fo
example, any nega i e (o posi i e) e ec on seals o o he p eda o s a e likely o cause
ophic cascades h ough he ood web by al e ing he p eda ion p essu e on p ey
species. Such e ec s would go unde he ada when looking a seals in isola ion.
In con as , using a ood web model has he po en ial o in o m abou whe e and how
o sho e wind is likely o impac he ecosys em du ing he ope a ional phase (Fig. 1A).
Focusing on a ime ame o 30 yea s ( he app oxima e longe i y o a pa k), we ha e
iden i ied he ollowing main d i e s o change o ma ine ecosys ems:
Ba ie e ec s on seabi ds, meaning inc eased mo ali y due o collision isks and a
loss o o aging habi a .
Unde wa e noise in he low- equency ange, con inuously caused by physical
mo emen o he o o blades and impac ing noise-sensi i e species, especially
ma ine mammals.
A i icial ee e ec s a e due o he in oduc ion o a i icial ha d subs a es, allowing
o he se lemen o ha d-bo om-associa ed lo a and auna.
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Changes in ishe ies pa e ns owing o he incompa ibili y o o sho e wind and
indus ial ishing gea s, i s and o emos ben hic awling, esul ing in s ongly
educed ishing ac i i y wi hin a wind pa k and an alloca ion o ishe ies o adjacen
a eas.
O he po en ial mechanisms o en men ioned in he li e a u e bu no inco po a ed in he
model a e beha iou al dis u bances o ce ain species due o elec omagne ic ields and
changes in plank on dynamics due o ae odynamic phenomena in he wake o u bines.
E e y hing, e e ywhe e, all a once
Accoun ing o he in e connec edness o ma ine species and a sui e o di ec and indi ec
impac s media ed by o sho e wind in spa ially explici ecosys em simula ions p o ides a
mo e comp ehensi e pic u e o la ge-scale sys em changes beyond species-speci ic
impac s. These simula ions allow us o es a ange o managemen scena ios, om
di e ences in wind a m layou s and ishe ies alloca ions o explo ing he po en ial o
mul i-use solu ions. The la e includes explo ing and p omo ing syne gies be ween
o sho e wind on one hand, and aquacul u e, ishe ies, shipping o addi ional enewable
ene gy echnologies (wa e, sola , e c.), on he o he .
This app oach will p o ide a scien i ically solid basis o balancing he oppo uni ies and
challenges posed by complex in e ac ions among business sec o s and con ibu e o he
C2B2 aim o suppo ing ecosys em-based ma ine spa ial planning, helping o ans o m
deg aded ma ine ecosys ems in o di e se, p oduc i e, and esilien sys ems o he
bene i o u u e gene a ions.
P ima y Con ibu o
Samuel Mo sbach
Uni e si y o Go henbu g/Tjä nö Ma ine Labo a o y
ORCID: 0009-0005-1817-0846
Addi ional Con ibu o (s)
Ma s Lindega h
Uni e si y o Go henbu g/Tjä nö Ma ine Labo a o y
ORCID: 0000-0001-5361-5437
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