Ocean Wind Gets Safer For Sea Life
Quieter offshore wind energy means happier porpoises
Sami Grover, October 4, 2016 (TreeHugger)
“…[M]uch of the ‘bird killing, bat mangling, fish destroying’ accusations so often leveled against wind power—both offshore and onshore—are largely based on ideological prejudice and a blanket opposition to green energy. But that doesn't mean we should ignore the potential consequences of any clean(er) technology…[That's why it's encouraging to see research from WWF on offshore wind that demonstrates] even relatively small reductions in noise levels can lead to significant improvements in the impact on harbor porpoises…By using a raft of measures including altering piling schedules, air-filled tubes, hydro-sound dampeners, and even utilizing bubbles as a barrier against underwater sound waves…[the resulting] drop of 8 decibels in construction noise could reduce the chance of a 1% annual drop in North Sea porpoise populations…Given the fierce urgency of the need to cut carbon emissions, we need to push ahead with an aggressive expansion of low carbon energy production. But we need to do so responsibly…” click here for more
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