The artificial habitat effects of offshore wind farm infrastructure and subsequent impacts on Australia’s marine ecology
Offshore wind farms (OWF) are a critical industry, which must grow substantially for nations to reach net zero climate targets, including Australia. These wind farms include the installation of subsea vertical and horizontal structures, which may subsequently attract marine taxa through ‘artificial reef’ effects. Understanding the interactions between offshore wind farm structures and marine ecosystems is therefore key to ensure impacts from the industry are mitigated appropriately. The offshore wind industry is nascent in Australia, thus there is an opportunity to predict and potentially alter the extent of impacts on marine ecosystems prior to wind farm structures being installed. In particular, the potential to adapt structures to be ‘nature inclusive’, reflecting local ecosystems, is key. My project aims to help quantify the interactions between OWF structures with marine ecosystems, focusing on the declared Offshore Wind Zone near Bunbury, Western Australia. The project will further test how management approaches for the Zone alter these interactions, including the use of protected areas, over decadal time scales. I will be using stereo-camera systems to capture biodiversity measures of fish and habitat-forming species, supplementing existing datasets. A statistical model predicting distribution and populations of these species for the declared Zone will subsequently be developed, forming a ‘digital twin’ of the Zone. The intent is to then test different how different structure types / management approaches will impact on these predicted populations. The key outcome of the project is to contribute towards the management of offshore wind farm structures, informing users as to how the industry may be developed in a way that does not risk significant impacts to existing ecosystems.
About Me
I am a driven marine ecologist who has always had a keen interest in the world of science and nature. Growing up in Fremantle near the coast, I spent as much time at the beach (and still do) as I could. At an early age I realised that I wanted to be a marine scientist, not just because I love science and nature, but also because I wanted to do something to help manage and conserve it, so that future generations could enjoy the same unique and vibrant marine environment that I grew up with. I previously attended UWA between 2014 to 2019, completing a Bachelor of Science (Marine Science and Conservation Biology Majors) in 2016 and a Masters in Science (Marine Science) in 2019. My Masters research focused on quantifying the level of shark depredation occurring in a Western Australian commercial fishery. I subsequently spent five years working as a marine environmental consultant, learning how to assess and manage anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems. Now back at UWA for my PhD, I am hoping the project will help inform industry as to appropriate management of renewable energy infrastructure on our marine ecosystems, in turn conserving the incredible marine biodiversity we are lucky to have in WA.
Supervisors
Dr. Tim Langlois, Dr. Matthew Navarro & Dr Rob de Roach
Contact
Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre
School of Biological Sciences (M470)
35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009
harrison.carmody@research.uwa.edu.au
ResearchGate