A Review of 10 Years of Research of Offshore Wind Farms in Germany: The State of Knowledge of Ecological Impacts

摘要

This paper presents a synopsis of the effects of offshore wind farms (OWFs) on benthos, fish, resting birds, migratory birds, and marine mammals based on published data collected in Germany during the past 10 years. German data was obtained from the StUKplus project at the Alpha Ventus wind farm and the first 13 OWFs in Germany. These data were validated against international data via a literature search. The results indicate the following effects of OWFs: (1) no negative effects on benthos or fish could be confirmed; (2) some species of birds avoid OWFs, whereas others ignore them or are attracted to them, and significant effects on migratory birds could not be proven; and (3) harbor porpoises were shown to be impacted during construction, although no long-term impacts to porpoises from the operation of OWFs have been proven.