scholarly journals Assessing Extreme Environmental Loads on Offshore Structures in the North Sea from High-Resolution Ocean Currents, Waves and Wind Forecasting

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1052
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Skliris ◽  
Robert Marsh ◽  
Meric Srokosz ◽  
Yevgeny Aksenov ◽  
Stefanie Rynders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Environmental Loads ◽  
The North ◽  
Shelf Slope ◽  
Hourly Data ◽  
The North Sea

The fast development of the offshore energy industry becomes an essential component of resilient economies in most of the countries around the North Sea, addressing an increasing demand for cost-efficient and environmentally safe energy sources. Offshore wind farms are planned to be installed further away from the coasts to ensure stronger and more stable wind resources in this region. Oil and gas extraction infrastructures are also planned to move into deeper areas of the continental shelf and continental shelf slopes to explore new fields. These deeper areas of the ocean are characterised by harsh environmental conditions: stronger winds, larger waves and strong shelf slope currents, inducing considerably larger loads on offshore structures. This study brings together operational physical oceanography and the mathematics of fluid-structure interactions to estimate the likelihood of extreme environmental loads on offshore structures in the North Sea. We use the state-of-the-art Met Office high resolution ocean forecasting system, which provides high-frequency data on ocean and tidal currents, wave heights and periods and winds at a ~7 km horizontal resolution grid, spanning the North–West European Shelf. The Morison equation framework is used to calculate environmental loads on various types of offshore structures that are typically employed by the offshore industries in the North Sea. We use hourly data for a 2-year period to analyse the spatio-temporal variability of mean and extreme hydrodynamic loads and derive the relative contributions of currents, waves and winds in the region. The results indicate that waves dominate extreme hydrodynamic forces on the shallow shelf, whereas the current contribution is important at the shelf break and in the English Channel.

scholarly journals Evaluation of high-resolution reanalyses for wind energy application in the North Sea and Baltic Sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Spangehl ◽  
Michael Borsche ◽  
Deborah Niermann ◽  
Frank Kaspar ◽  
Birger Tinz
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
North Sea ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
The North ◽  
Hourly Data ◽  
The North Sea

<p>The exploitation of offshore wind energy is an essential part of the German energy transition (Energiewende). The planning of new offshore wind farms demands detailed information on wind conditions at turbine hub heights in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. High-resolution reanalyses which are based on state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction (NWP) models combined with data assimilation systems offer the required meteorological data which are suitable for climatological assessment.</p><p>The regional reanalysis COSMO-REA6 operated by Germany’s national meteorological service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD) provides hourly data of 6 km horizontal resolution for 1995-2019/08 (Kaspar et al., 2020). Moreover, hourly data of 31 km horizontal resolution for 1950 to present are available from the global reanalysis ERA5 produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). DWD delivers reanalysis data and statistical evaluation results to Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH) in order to facilitate offshore site tenders. Data and a report were recently published as part of the tenders for 2021 (https://pinta.bsh.de/).</p><p>Here we present an evaluation of the 100 m wind speed and direction from COSMO-REA6 and ERA5 based on a comprehensive statistical analysis. On the reference side the FINO measurements (Research platforms in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, https://www.fino-offshore.de/en/index.html) from FINO1 and FINO2 are used. The FINO measurements are not used by the data assimilation schemes of the two reanalyses and therefore constitute independent reference data. The focus is on episodes prior to the installation of wind farms in the direct vicinity of the FINO platforms to avoid wake effects. The quality of the two reanalyses is compared to other state-of-the-art reanalyses and wind atlas data.</p><p>Reference:</p><p>Kaspar et al. (2020): Regional atmospheric reanalysis activities at Deutscher Wetterdienst: review of evaluation results and application examples with a focus on renewable energy, Adv. Sci. Res., 17, 115–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/asr-17-115-2020.</p>

Mesoscale resolving high-resolution simulation of wind farms in COSMO-CLM 5

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveed Akhtar ◽  
Burkhardt Rockel
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Local Meteorology ◽  
The Impact

<p>The rapid development of offshore wind farms has raised concerns about the local environment and ecosystem. Wind farms influence the local meteorology by extracting kinetic energy from the wind field and by generating a large wake. The North Sea is one of the main regions of the world where the growth of offshore wind farms is rapidly increasing. In this study, we analyze the impact of large-scale offshore wind farms in the North Sea on local meteorology using regional climate model COSMO-CLM. For this purpose, the parametrization for wind turbine driven by Fitch et al. (2012) and Blahak et al. (2010), previously implemented in COSMO-CLM v 4.8 at KU-Leuven (Chatterjee et al. 2016), has been implemented in the latest version 5 of COSMO-CLM. Here we present the first results of COSMO-CLM long-term simulations with and without wind farms using mesoscale resolving high-resolution horizontal atmospheric grid spacing (~ 2 km).</p>

Accessibility assessment for operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms in the North Sea

Wind Energy ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Martini ◽  
Raúl Guanche ◽  
Iñigo J. Losada ◽  
César Vidal
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
The North ◽  
Operation And Maintenance ◽  
The North Sea

scholarly journals The carbon budget of the North Sea

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Thomas ◽  
Y. Bozec ◽  
H. J. W. de Baar ◽  
K. Elkalay ◽  
M. Frankignoulle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Carbon Budget ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. A carbon budget has been established for the North Sea, a shelf sea on the NW European continental shelf. The carbon exchange fluxes with the North Atlantic Ocean dominate the gross carbon budget. The net carbon budget – more relevant to the issue of the contribution of the coastal ocean to the marine carbon cycle – is dominated by the carbon inputs from rivers, the Baltic Sea and the atmosphere. The North Sea acts as a sink for organic carbon and thus can be characterised as a heterotrophic system. The dominant carbon sink is the final export to the North Atlantic Ocean. More than 90% of the CO2 taken up from the atmosphere is exported to the North Atlantic Ocean making the North Sea a highly efficient continental shelf pump for carbon.

scholarly journals Evidence for the effects of decommissioning man-made structures on marine ecosystems globally: a systematic map protocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anaëlle J. Lemasson ◽  
Antony M. Knights ◽  
Murray Thompson ◽  
Gennadi Lessin ◽  
Nicola Beaumont ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Systematic Map ◽  
Management Options ◽  
The North ◽  
Ecosystem Effects ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
The North Sea

Abstract Background Numerous man-made structures (MMS) have been installed in various parts of the ocean (e.g. oil and gas structures, offshore wind installations). Many are now at, or nearing, the end of their intended life. Currently, we only have a limited understanding of decommissioning effects. In many locations, such as the North Sea, regulations restrict decommissioning options to complete removal, with little consideration of alternative management options might offer. To generate a reliable evidence-base to inform the decision-making processes pertaining to marine MMS management, we propose a wide-encompassing systematic map of published research on the ecosystem effects (including ecosystem services) of marine MMS while in place and following cessation of operations (i.e. including effects of alternative decommissioning options). This map is undertaken as part of the UKRI DREAMS project which aims to develop a system to show the relative effects of implementing different decommissioning strategies in the North Sea. Method For the purpose of this map, we will keep our focus global, in order to subsequently draw comparisons between marine regions. The proposed map will aim to answer the following two primary questions: 1. What published evidence exists for the effects of marine man-made structures while in place on the marine ecosystem? 2. What published evidence exists for the effects of the decommissioning of marine man-made structures on the marine ecosystem? The map will follow the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence Guidelines and Standards for Evidence Synthesis in Environmental Management. Searches will be run primarily in English in at least 13 databases and 4 websites. Returns will be screened at title/abstract level and at full-text against pre-defined criteria. Relevant meta-data will be extracted for each study included. Results will be used to build a database of evidence, which will be made freely available. This map, expected to be large, will improve our knowledge of the available evidence for the ecosystem effects of MMS in the global marine environment. It will subsequently inform the production of multiple systematic-reviews and meta-analyses.

The continental shelf pump for CO2 in the North Sea—evidence from summer observation

2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 131-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yann Bozec ◽  
Helmuth Thomas ◽  
Khalid Elkalay ◽  
Hein J.W. de Baar
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
North Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea
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