From No Trick Zone

By P Gosselin 

Blackout News here reports on the underestmated risk to ecological systems: offshore windparks!

Offshore wind farms (OWPs) are considered a cornerstone of Germany’s transition to renewable energies. We are told that they supply clean energy and slow down climate change.

However, a recent study by Hyodae Seo sheds light on unexpected and profound side effects: Offshore wind farms warm the atmosphere and the sea surface more significantly than previously assumed and cause complex ecological damage.

The mechanism of warming

How can wind turbines warm the climate? The secret lies in the vortices and the altered air circulation.

1. The rotors extract energy from the wind. This creates vortex structures that spread over wide areas.
2. These vortices weaken the natural mixing of the lower air layers and the surface water.
3. The natural cooling capacity of the sea surface is thereby reduced. Heat cannot be dissipated as easily, which intensifies the temperature increase at the sea surface. This additional heat rises into the atmosphere.

Measurements confirm this effect: there are slight but constant temperature increases near the ground. In densely concentrated wind farms, these effects can reinforce each other.

Moreover, the impacts are not just local; analyses show that the effects of the vortices extend over more than 100 kilometers and cause measurable temperature increases up to 200 meters in altitude.

Ecological damage, microplastic threat

The climatic changes are only one side of the coin. Marine ecosystems are stressed in various other ways. There are high strike rates for birds and bats.

Also sediment stirring harms the habitats of many marine organisms. The current vortices alter the mixing of the water column, affecting the distribution of plankton and thus the foundation of the marine food chain.

Another  particularly severe finding is the abrasion of the rotor blades. During operation, they release microplastic particles, which are ingested by marine animals like mussels and oysters. The warming of the water also accelerates the decay of materials, causing the plastic to spread over increasingly larger areas and interfere deeply with biological cycles.

The silent health hazard: Infrasound

An often-underestimated factor is the low-frequency infrasound generated by the rotors. Although it is inaudible to humans, the pressure fluctuations can trigger physical reactions.

Residents near the coast often report symptoms such as sleep disturbances or persistent inner restlessness. Animals are also sensitive, as even small fluctuations affect their orientation. The local warming of the surrounding air also changes sound propagation, which can intensify some of these effects.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that offshore wind farms set in motion a complex network of turbulence, warming, microplastics, and infrasound. The combination of these factors shifts climatic and ecological processes, shaping both the atmosphere and the marine environment. The results signal that these far-reaching technical interventions can no longer be viewed as isolated or negligible fringe phenomena. In the future planning and expansion of offshore wind energy, these profound repercussions on the regional climate and sensitive ecosystems must be taken into account much more seriously.

Full article at Blackout News (German)