{"id":296725,"date":"2024-01-18T13:46:32","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T12:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=296725"},"modified":"2024-01-18T13:46:35","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T12:46:35","slug":"pile-driving-offshore-winds-ecological-problem-popper-interview-in-phys-org","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=296725","title":{"rendered":"Pile Driving: Offshore Wind\u2019s Ecological Problem (Popper interview in Phys.Org)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Robert Bradley Jr.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe construction of wind farms \u2026 on the East Coast of the United States \u2026 is a big issue because it is a source of considerable noise.\u201d (Arthur Popper, below)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In Phys.Org<\/a>, Emily Nunez (University of Maryland) recently interviewed<\/a> Arthur N. Popper, professor emeritus, University of Maryland\u2019s Department of Biology, a specialist in the ecological impacts of underwater sound. \u201cOffshore wind farms can be an energy boon,\u201d she begins the article, \u201cbut does their noisy construction bother marine animals?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She introduces the issue as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2026 Popper \u2026 worries that the use of pile driving to construct offshore wind turbines<\/a> could potentially harm fishes. Only two<\/a> offshore wind farms<\/a> are operational in the United States, but many more are in the works, including two projects<\/a> planned for Maryland\u2019s waters and a third project approved<\/a> for construction off the coast of Virginia. Across the U.S., interest in wind farms is growing, but Popper noted that researchers still don\u2019t know much about their effect on marine life<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Quotations follow from the Q&A: Does noisy construction of offshore wind farms disturb marine animals?<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cMarine animals depend heavily on sound. Sound is one of the few communication signals that travel quickly across long distances in the oceans and are not stopped by low light levels or objects in the environment\u2026. To get a long-distance, 360-degree view of what\u2019s going on around them, sound is the best form of communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuman-generated sounds can potentially interfere with the ability of fishes and invertebrates to hear sounds of biological importance to them, such as the sounds of potential mates or predators\u2026. Anything we\u2019re doing in the ocean\u2014from pile driving to shipping to wind farms\u2014has a potential impact on vast populations of animals and their reproductive capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWind farms are becoming a big thing on the East Coast of the United States, and I\u2019m consulting with different groups that are involved in developing and regulating wind farms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe construction of wind farms is a big issue because it is a source of considerable noise. In some places in Europe, they don\u2019t drive piles into the substrate to support the wind farms. They let them float and use big weights and cables to keep them in place. But in the United States, at least on the East Coast, I haven\u2019t heard of that happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The politically incorrect direction of the interview requires (this is mainstream academia\/media) a but-wind-power-is-good<\/em> set-up question from Nunez instead of a public policy question such as \u201cshould offshore wind projects be paused in the name of the precautionary principle?\u201d<\/em> Her question is: \u201cIs it possible to have the best of both worlds: to promote sustainable energy while also protecting marine life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Popper obliges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

My guess is that it is totally possible. Wind farms are useful sources of power. They don\u2019t cause pollution, they\u2019re not taking up space on shore and they produce a good deal of energy. There are some real advantages, but we need to learn a lot more about their impact on marine life.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Final Comment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offshore wind is an uber-uneconomic, government-enabled endeavor in the U.S. It duplicates the (onshore) grid while weakening it. It requires innumerable installations compared to the (economic) concentrated operations of offshore oil and gas platforms. Wind literally \u2018machines up\u2019, industrializes<\/em>, pristine coastal waters from an ecological viewpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private ownership of water areas is one approach to deciding between competing priorities. But what is radically uneconomic would not be on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post\u00a0Pile Driving: Offshore Wind\u2019s Ecological Problem (Popper interview in Phys.Org)<\/a>\u00a0appeared first on<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Master <\/a>Resource<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Phys.Org, Emily Nunez (University of Maryland) recently interviewed Arthur N. Popper, professor emeritus, University of Maryland\u2019s Department of Biology, a specialist in the ecological impacts of underwater sound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":296728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"In Phys.Org, Emily Nunez (University of Maryland) recently interviewed Arthur N. 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