Simulated net primary productivity (NPP) in the southern North Sea 2003-2013 forced by epistructural and epibenthic reconstructed blue mussel filtration

Abstract

The increasing demand for renewable energy is projected to result in a 40-fold increase in offshore wind electricity in the European Union by 2030. Despite a great number of local impact studies for selected marine populations, the regional ecosystem impacts of offshore wind farm structures are not yet well assessed nor understood. The study resulting from this dataset investigates whether the accumulation of epifauna, dominated by the filter feeder Mytilus edulis (blue mussel), on turbine structures affects pelagic primary production in the southern North Sea.