PhD Research Predicting regional vulnerability of threatened seabirds to offshore wind energy developments
My research will aim to characterise the year-round habitat use of black-legged kittiwakes across the North Atlantic to identify suitable areas for offshore wind farms and artificial nesting structures that offer options for net biodiversity gain for seabirds in the face of future climate change. Rapid expansion of offshore wind energy developments is necessary to tackle the climate crisis and to meet net zero targets. However, wind turbines may also have a negative impact on biodiversity, including species that are already struggling, such as seabirds. One favoured compensation option for balancing increased adult mortality is enhancing juvenile recruitment through the construction of artificial nesting structures.
As part of a multidisciplinary project, I will work with existing kittiwake tracking datasets to characterise nesting and foraging habitat, and use projection modelling to link current and future seabird nesting and foraging with the placement of offshore wind farms and artificial nesting structures. Emphasis in this research is placed on animal movement data, ecological niche modelling, ocean and climate projection modelling, impact assessment analysis, and marine spatial planning approaches. Ultimately my project will improve methods used to understand the ecological consequences of offshore wind and mitigate impact.