Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture can help achieve global sustainability goals

Marie Maar; Andreas Holbach; Teis Boderskov; Marianne Thomsen; Bela H. Buck; Jonne Kotta; Annette Bruhn

doi:10.1038/s43247-023-01116-6

Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture can help achieve global sustainability goals

Marie Maar^*, Andreas Holbach, Teis Boderskov, Marianne Thomsen, Bela H. Buck, Jonne Kotta, Annette Bruhn

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture could provide sustainable energy, nutritious seafood, and restorative ecosystem services through nutrients and carbon capture and utilization. In a transition zone between marine and brackish seas, our model predicted that allocating 10% of projected wind farm areas to blue mussel and sugar kelp aquaculture in the North Sea - Baltic Sea transition zone could yield 18 t-fresh weight ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Total carbon captured and harvested from seaweed biomass and mussel shells would equal 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the Danish agricultural sector. Furthermore, global aquaculture production is projected to increase by 132% compared to current production. With technological and regulatory challenges still to be addressed, these findings demonstrate a vast potential of multi-use in offshore areas, which can generate blue biomass with fewer user conflicts, while mitigating eutrophication and climate change, thereby supporting multiple global sustainable development goals.

Original language	English
Article number	447
Journal	Communications Earth & Environment
Volume	4
Issue	1
ISSN	2662-4435
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01116-6
Publication status	Published - Nov 2023

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10.1038/s43247-023-01116-6Licence: CC BY

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title = "Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture can help achieve global sustainability goals",

abstract = "Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture could provide sustainable energy, nutritious seafood, and restorative ecosystem services through nutrients and carbon capture and utilization. In a transition zone between marine and brackish seas, our model predicted that allocating 10% of projected wind farm areas to blue mussel and sugar kelp aquaculture in the North Sea - Baltic Sea transition zone could yield 18 t-fresh weight ha−1 yr−1. Total carbon captured and harvested from seaweed biomass and mussel shells would equal 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the Danish agricultural sector. Furthermore, global aquaculture production is projected to increase by 132% compared to current production. With technological and regulatory challenges still to be addressed, these findings demonstrate a vast potential of multi-use in offshore areas, which can generate blue biomass with fewer user conflicts, while mitigating eutrophication and climate change, thereby supporting multiple global sustainable development goals.",

author = "Marie Maar and Andreas Holbach and Teis Boderskov and Marianne Thomsen and Buck, {Bela H.} and Jonne Kotta and Annette Bruhn",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, The Author(s).",

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doi = "10.1038/s43247-023-01116-6",

language = "English",

volume = "4",

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Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture can help achieve global sustainability goals. / Maar, Marie ; Holbach, Andreas ; Boderskov, Teis et al.
In: Communications Earth & Environment, Vol. 4, No. 1, 447, 11.2023.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture can help achieve global sustainability goals

AU - Maar, Marie

AU - Holbach, Andreas

AU - Boderskov, Teis

AU - Thomsen, Marianne

AU - Buck, Bela H.

AU - Kotta, Jonne

AU - Bruhn, Annette

PY - 2023/11

Y1 - 2023/11

N2 - Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture could provide sustainable energy, nutritious seafood, and restorative ecosystem services through nutrients and carbon capture and utilization. In a transition zone between marine and brackish seas, our model predicted that allocating 10% of projected wind farm areas to blue mussel and sugar kelp aquaculture in the North Sea - Baltic Sea transition zone could yield 18 t-fresh weight ha−1 yr−1. Total carbon captured and harvested from seaweed biomass and mussel shells would equal 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the Danish agricultural sector. Furthermore, global aquaculture production is projected to increase by 132% compared to current production. With technological and regulatory challenges still to be addressed, these findings demonstrate a vast potential of multi-use in offshore areas, which can generate blue biomass with fewer user conflicts, while mitigating eutrophication and climate change, thereby supporting multiple global sustainable development goals.

AB - Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture could provide sustainable energy, nutritious seafood, and restorative ecosystem services through nutrients and carbon capture and utilization. In a transition zone between marine and brackish seas, our model predicted that allocating 10% of projected wind farm areas to blue mussel and sugar kelp aquaculture in the North Sea - Baltic Sea transition zone could yield 18 t-fresh weight ha−1 yr−1. Total carbon captured and harvested from seaweed biomass and mussel shells would equal 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the Danish agricultural sector. Furthermore, global aquaculture production is projected to increase by 132% compared to current production. With technological and regulatory challenges still to be addressed, these findings demonstrate a vast potential of multi-use in offshore areas, which can generate blue biomass with fewer user conflicts, while mitigating eutrophication and climate change, thereby supporting multiple global sustainable development goals.

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DO - 10.1038/s43247-023-01116-6

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AN - SCOPUS:85178192952

SN - 2662-4435

VL - 4

JO - Communications Earth & Environment

JF - Communications Earth & Environment

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Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture can help achieve global sustainability goals

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Multi-use of offshore wind farms with low-trophic aquaculture can help achieve global sustainability goals

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