Predicting regional vulnerability of threatened seabirds to offshore wind energy developments

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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. This studentship will characterise seabird nesting and foraging niches to inform the placement of offshore wind farms and artificial nesting structures and ensure long-term species protection under climate change. This multidisciplinary projectwill use animal tracking to characterise nesting and foraging habitat, as well as projection modelling to link current and future seabird nesting and foraging with the placement of offshore wind farms and artificial nestistructures. This project will improve methods used to understanding the ecological consequences of offshore wind and mitigate impact. The project aims to characterise the year-round ecological niche of kittiwakes throughout the North Atlantic; identify suitable areas for offshore wind farm licensing and construction of offshore and onshore artificial nesting structures to maximise species protection; and assess the impact of windfarms and artificial nesting structures on long-term species resilience under climate change.