Investigating avoidance and attraction responses in lesser black-backed gulls Larus fuscus to offshore wind farms
Investigating avoidance and attraction responses in lesser black-backed gulls Larus fuscus to offshore wind farms
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DOI：
10.3354/meps13964
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发表时间：
2022-03-24
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Cook, Aonghais S. C. P.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Johnston, Daniel T.;Thaxter, Chris B.;Cook, Aonghais S. C. P.
海鸟在通勤或觅食时通过或使用海上风电场可能会增加与涡轮机叶片碰撞的可能性。碰撞风险模型提供了一种估计风电场对海鸟种群的潜在影响的方法，但对输入参数敏感，包括回避率。通过使用高分辨率的经验性移动数据来完善对避免碰撞的理解，有可能为评估海上风电场对海鸟种群的碰撞影响提供信息。我们评估了GPS标记的小黑背鸥Larus fuscus从英格兰西北部的繁殖地的运动，以估计该物种的AR和回避/吸引指数（AAI）附近的海上风电场。为了研究风力涡轮机的宏观（0-4 km）和中尺度（0-200 m）响应，我们使用了基于模拟与观测轨迹的AR和AAI计算。我们发现，鸟类的AR为-0.15（95%CI：-0.44至0.06），表明风力发电场4公里范围内的吸引程度。然而，AAI值随着距离风电场边界的距离而变化，在3至4 km之间显示出一定程度的回避，随着距离带接近风电场边界而减弱。根据最近的单个涡轮机和相对于最近的涡轮机的转子高度范围（RHR）的飞行高度，对中尺度回避/吸引进行了评估。我们发现，在RHR以下，距离< 70 m时，吸引力增加，而在RHR内，距离接近涡轮机时，回避增加。我们探讨如何高分辨率跟踪数据可以用来提高我们的知识L。fuscus避免/吸引行为，以建立风力发电场，从而为碰撞影响的评估提供信息。
Movements through or use of offshore wind farms by seabirds while commuting or foraging may increase the potential for collision with turbine blades. Collision risk models provide a method for estimating potential impacts of wind farms on seabird populations, but are sensitive to input parameters, including avoidance rates (ARs). Refining understanding of avoidance through the use of high-resolution empirical movement data has the potential to inform assessments of the collision impacts of offshore wind farms on seabird populations. We assessed the movements of GPS-tagged lesser black-backed gulls Larus fuscus from a breeding colony in northwest England to estimate the species' AR and avoidance/attraction index (AAI) to nearby offshore wind farms. To investigate both macro- (0-4 km) and meso-scale (0-200 m) responses to wind turbines, we used calculations of AR and AAI based on simulated vs. observed tracks. We found that birds exhibited an AR of -0.15 (95% CI: -0.44 to 0.06), indicating a degree of attraction within 4 km of the wind farms. However, AAI values varied with distance from wind farm boundaries, with a degree of avoidance displayed between 3 and 4 km, which weakened as distance bands approach wind farm boundaries. Meso-scale avoidance/attraction was assessed with regard to the nearest individual turbine, and flight height relative to the rotor height range (RHR) of the nearest turbine. We found attraction increased below the RHR at distances < 70 m, while avoidance increased within the RHR at distances approaching the turbine. We explore how highresolution tracking data can be used to improve our knowledge of L. fuscus avoidance/attraction behaviour to established wind farms, and so inform assessments of collision impacts.