Effects of pile-driving on harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) at the first offshore wind farm in Germany

The first offshore wind farm ‘alpha ventus’ in the German North Sea was constructed north east of Borkum Reef Ground approximately 45 km north off the German coast in 2008 and 2009 using percussive piling for the foundations of 12 wind turbines. Visual monitoring of harbour porpoises was conducted prior to as well as during construction and operation by means of 15 aerial line transect distance sampling surveys, from 2008 to 2010. Static acoustic monitoring (SAM) with echolocation click loggers at 12 positions was performed additionally from 2008 to 2011. SAM devices were deployed between 1 and 50 km from the centre of the wind farm. During aerial surveys, 18 600 km of transect lines were covered in two survey areas (10 934 and 11 824 km2) and 1392 harbour porpoise sightings were recorded. Lowest densities were documented during the construction period in 2009. The spatial distribution pattern recorded on two aerial surveys three weeks before and exactly during pile-driving points towards a strong avoidance response within 20 km distance of the noise source. Generalized additive modelling of SAM data showed a negative impact of pile-driving on relative porpoise detection rates at eight positions at distances less than 10.8 km. Increased detection rates were found at two positions at 25 and 50 km distance suggesting that porpoises were displaced towards these positions. A pile-driving related behavioural reaction could thus be detected using SAM at a much larger distance than a pure avoidance radius would suggest. The first waiting time (interval between porpoise detections of at least 10 min), after piling started, increased with longer piling durations. A gradient in avoidance, a gradual fading of the avoidance reaction with increasing distance from the piling site, is hence most probably a product of an incomplete displacement during shorter piling events.

• Publication year

  2013

• Venue

  Environmental Research Letters

• Publication date

  2013-04-04

• Fields of study

  Physics, Economics, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/025002
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• Lowest harbour porpoise densities were observed during the 2009 construction period.

  Confidence 0.93

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• The first waiting time after piling started increased when piling events lasted longer.

  Confidence 0.89

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• Static acoustic monitoring showed reduced porpoise detection rates at eight positions closer than 10.8 km, with higher detection rates at 25 km and 50 km suggesting displacement toward those locations.

  Confidence 0.95

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• Pile-driving was linked to a strong harbour porpoise avoidance response within 20 km of the noise source.

  Confidence 0.96

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review

• aerial line transect distance sampling surveys

  survey method

  Visual aircraft surveys flown along transects to estimate porpoise distribution and density.

  Aliases: aerial surveys, line transect distance sampling

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• alpha ventus offshore wind farm

  site, offshore wind farm

  The first offshore wind farm in the German North Sea, used as the study site for the monitoring campaign.

  Aliases: alpha ventus

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• echolocation click loggers

  sensor, acoustic device

  Acoustic devices deployed at fixed positions to record harbour porpoise echolocation clicks.

  Aliases: click loggers

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• first waiting time

  measurement, outcome

  The interval after piling begins until the next porpoise detection gap of at least 10 minutes ends.

  Aliases: waiting time

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• harbour porpoise

  species, marine mammal

  A small marine cetacean species monitored acoustically and visually around the wind farm.

  Aliases: harbor porpoise, Phocoena phocoena

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• percussive piling

  construction method

  A foundation installation method that drives turbine foundations into the seabed by repeated hammer blows.

  Aliases: piling

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• pile-driving

  construction activity

  The noisy construction activity of driving offshore wind turbine foundations into place.

  Aliases: driving

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• relative porpoise detection rates

  measurement, outcome

  A measure of porpoise click detections at monitoring positions relative to the sampling effort or baseline.

  Aliases: detection rates

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review
• static acoustic monitoring

  monitoring method

  Fixed-position acoustic monitoring of porpoise echolocation clicks using deployed loggers.

  Aliases: SAM

  박진우 (dztg5apj7m) extractionB (s683577b42) reviewKiller Whale (322360f1c1) reviewq (76h6bfydm6) review

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