FLoating Offshore Wind Effect on the pelagic system, knowledge base for impact assessment and monitoring

Project leader: Akvaplan-niva

Project partners: The Norwegian Institute for Water Research environment (NIVA), East China Normal University, Equinor, Offshore Sensing, Source Galileo

Financing: The Research Council of Norway (RCN) project number 358086.

RCN project type: Knowledge-building project for industry/Innovation project for the industrial sector/Demonstration project for the industrial sector

Background

Given Norway’s current sustainable energy ambitions, large-scale expansion of floating offshore wind farms (FOWFs) in deep waters is inevitable. However, the environmental impacts of FOWFs on the pelagic ecosystem remain poorly understood, and no standardized monitoring protocols exist.

Project goals

FLOWE aims at understanding the mechanisms of impact of FOWFs on the pelagic lower-trophic-level communities and at providing a knowledge base to optimize monitoring designs using sustainable survey methods. By validating multi-scale ocean biogeochemical models with autonomous in-situ observations, the project will improve predictions of FOWF-induced changes in ocean dynamics and ecosystem productivity.

See also FLOWE på NVA