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<p>The Amrum Bank, a sandbank in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea, accommodates a diverse marine ecosystem and is located northeast of the offshore wind farm (OWF) “Amrum Bank West.” In our study, we investigate epibenthic biodiversity by beam trawl and ring dredge catches at incremental distances to the wind farm. Using the same methodology, we compare biodiversity at the Natura 2000 marine protected area (MPA) “Sylt Outer Reef–Eastern German Bight,” where fishery has been excluded since March 2023, with surrounding locations that are still affected by fisheries. Both OWFs and MPAs prohibit fishing, but they have different primary objectives, with MPAs protecting biodiversity and OWFs generating renewable energy. The wind farm, where no fishing has been allowed since its operation began in 2015, may have been influencing epifaunal communities for several years. Our results indicate that the total number of individuals, the catch volume, and the Shannon–Wiener biodiversity index (Hs) increased with increasing distance from the OWF. The correlation between Hs and distance to the OWF as well as catch volume in correlation with the distance was statistically significant (<i>p</i> = 0.003 and <i>p</i> = 0.004). Furthermore, species composition varied between protected and non-protected stations. Multidimensional scaling revealed a higher similarity in species composition within the MPA compared to non-protected areas, which exhibited greater variability. When comparing stations closest to and farthest from the OWF, 16 species showed differences in abundance of at least 10 individuals, with 9 of these species being found exclusively or in higher numbers at the stations farthest from the OWF. Linear mixed-effects models confirmed that both distance to the wind farm and protection status had statistically significant effects on the abundance of several species, with a general trend of increasing abundance and biodiversity with increasing distance. However, no stations were sampled within the OWF itself because access was restricted by regulations, which limits the scope of our conclusions. This study provides important insights into the ecological dynamics of the Amrum Bank and emphasizes the need to give greater weight to anthropogenic factors in marine conservation and management strategies. The conclusions of this study apply specifically to the unique conditions of the Amrum Bank: soft sediment habitats, a degraded seafloor recovering from industrial fishing, and bottom-fixed turbines. We conclude that OWFs could be accompanied (or surrounded) by MPAs in order to provide areas in which epifaunal biodiversity can thrive without disturbance, which ultimately increases ecosystem health and resilience. However, it is also important to note that other studies have shown that OWFs can negatively affect MPAs, depending on local ecological conditions, and this warrants further investigation.</p>

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Benthic epifauna communities profit from the spatial combination of offshore wind farms and marine protected area in the south-eastern North Sea

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月13日

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  • Sarah Joy Hahn,
  • Angelika Brandt,
  • Moritz Sonnewald

摘要

The Amrum Bank, a sandbank in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea, accommodates a diverse marine ecosystem and is located northeast of the offshore wind farm (OWF) “Amrum Bank West.” In our study, we investigate epibenthic biodiversity by beam trawl and ring dredge catches at incremental distances to the wind farm. Using the same methodology, we compare biodiversity at the Natura 2000 marine protected area (MPA) “Sylt Outer Reef–Eastern German Bight,” where fishery has been excluded since March 2023, with surrounding locations that are still affected by fisheries. Both OWFs and MPAs prohibit fishing, but they have different primary objectives, with MPAs protecting biodiversity and OWFs generating renewable energy. The wind farm, where no fishing has been allowed since its operation began in 2015, may have been influencing epifaunal communities for several years. Our results indicate that the total number of individuals, the catch volume, and the Shannon–Wiener biodiversity index (Hs) increased with increasing distance from the OWF. The correlation between Hs and distance to the OWF as well as catch volume in correlation with the distance was statistically significant (p = 0.003 and p = 0.004). Furthermore, species composition varied between protected and non-protected stations. Multidimensional scaling revealed a higher similarity in species composition within the MPA compared to non-protected areas, which exhibited greater variability. When comparing stations closest to and farthest from the OWF, 16 species showed differences in abundance of at least 10 individuals, with 9 of these species being found exclusively or in higher numbers at the stations farthest from the OWF. Linear mixed-effects models confirmed that both distance to the wind farm and protection status had statistically significant effects on the abundance of several species, with a general trend of increasing abundance and biodiversity with increasing distance. However, no stations were sampled within the OWF itself because access was restricted by regulations, which limits the scope of our conclusions. This study provides important insights into the ecological dynamics of the Amrum Bank and emphasizes the need to give greater weight to anthropogenic factors in marine conservation and management strategies. The conclusions of this study apply specifically to the unique conditions of the Amrum Bank: soft sediment habitats, a degraded seafloor recovering from industrial fishing, and bottom-fixed turbines. We conclude that OWFs could be accompanied (or surrounded) by MPAs in order to provide areas in which epifaunal biodiversity can thrive without disturbance, which ultimately increases ecosystem health and resilience. However, it is also important to note that other studies have shown that OWFs can negatively affect MPAs, depending on local ecological conditions, and this warrants further investigation.