MSNBC recently reported on an unusual idea – that offshore wind farms would be not only good for creating clean energy, but they’d also boost fish populations:
Extracting energy from wind changes regional air currents, which can in turn affect how the nearby ocean circulates, according to Goran Brostrom of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute in Oslo.
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The change in currents seems small — a nudge of just 3.3 feet per day — and the wind farms have to be around 1.9 square miles. But Brostrom said the effect is enough to bring nutrient-rich waters up from the depths, which marine life can thrive on.
“I think you will see a large effect over time,” he said. “You will get more plankton blooming, and you will see more vibrant life overall at that place.”
Plankton blooms are infamous for causing toxic red tides and for sucking oxygen out of the water. But they can also be food sources for larger animals.
“Whether or not this is a good thing is a matter of debate,” Brostrom said.
Everything changes everything.