Expansion of offshore wind energy is vital for the reduction of CO₂ emissions. However, offshore wind farms may negatively impact the environment without proper planning. Here we assess the robustness of the conclusions of earlier studies that the strictly protected red-throated diver, Gavia stellata, is strongly displaced from wind farms in the German Bight (North Sea). We modelled the distribution of divers based on two independent data sets, digital aerial surveys and satellite telemetry, in relation to the dynamic offshore environment and anthropogenic pressures. Both data types found that divers were strongly displaced from wind farms in suitable habitat. The displacement effect gradually decreased with distance from the wind farms (being very strong up to 5 km away), but a significant effect could be detected up to 10–15 km away. The telemetry data further indicated that the displacement distance decreased with decreasing visibility. The displacement distance was also shorter during the day than during the night, potentially as a response to aviation and navigation lights of the wind farms. These findings should be taken into consideration in marine spatial planning to avoid cumulative impacts on red-throated diver populations.

扩大海上风能对于减少CO ₂排放至关重要。但是，如果没有适当的计划，海上风电场可能会对环境造成负面影响。在这里，我们评估了受严格保护的红喉潜水员Gavia stellata先前研究结论的稳健性，在德国湾（北海）的风力发电厂中流离失所。我们根据动态海洋环境和人为压力两个独立的数据集（数字航空勘测和卫星遥测）对潜水员的分布进行了建模。两种数据类型均发现，潜水员在适当的栖息地被强烈驱离了风电场。随着距风电场的距离的增加，位移效应逐渐减小（在5公里以内非常强），但在10-15公里的距离内却可以检测到显着的影响。遥测数据进一步表明，位移距离随着可见度的减小而减小。白天的位移距离也比夜间短，这可能是对风电场的航空和导航灯的反应。