Artificial reefs
To what extent do artificial reefs, including oil structures, wind farms, and wave energy installations, enhance ecosystem productivity, and how does this impact vary across different trophic levels and spatial scales?
This overarching question combines elements of ecosystem status, energy infrastructure, and fisheries management. Using EwE to explore these aspects may provide insights into the complex dynamics of how artificial structures interact with marine ecosystems. The analyses research may help inform policy decisions about the use of artificial reefs for ecosystem enhancement, the environmental impacts of offshore energy installations, and strategies for decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure.
Potential policy questions
- Biomass accumulation: How does introduction of artificial reefs affect the biomass and diversity of fish and invertebrate communities?
- Trophic structure changes: Do artificial reefs alter the trophic structure of the ecosystem, and if so, how does this impact energy flow and overall productivity?
- Habitat provision vs. aggregation: To what extent do artificial reefs actually increase productivity versus simply aggregating existing biomass from surrounding areas (thereby increasing catchability)?
- Size and density effects: What is the relationship between the size and density of artificial reef structures and their impact on ecosystem productivity?
- Invasive species facilitation: Do artificial reefs increase the risk of invasive species establishment, and how might this affect overall ecosystem productivity?
- Larval retention and recruitment: How do artificial reefs influence larval retention and recruitment patterns for various species, and what are the long-term implications for population dynamics?
- Fisheries impacts: How do artificial reefs affect fisheries productivity in surrounding areas, and are there differences between commercial and recreational fisheries?
- Ecosystem service provision: Beyond fisheries, how do artificial reefs impact other ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and water quality?
- Decommissioning strategies: For oil and gas structures, how do different decommissioning strategies (complete removal vs. partial removal) affect long-term ecosystem productivity?
- Cumulative impacts: How do the cumulative effects of multiple artificial reef structures impact ecosystem productivity at a regional scale?
- Temporal dynamics: How does the influence of artificial reefs on ecosystem productivity change over time, from initial installation through maturation?
- Interaction with climate change: How might the effects of artificial reefs on ecosystem productivity be modulated by ongoing climate change impacts?
