Operational windfarm disturbance in North Sea

[Leonie_Lepple]

Hello, 

I am looking for a methodology that can quantify the cumulative disturbance of marine mammals (or harbour porpoise) from the operational noise of wind farms. This aspect has so far been assessed qualitatively in the EIA; but given the circumstances now, over 50 wind farms will be operational in the North Sea by 2030. 
Is there a way that DEPONS can react to this with a new modelling update?

Thank you kindly, and any ideas for alternative assessments are appreciated.

[Jacob Nabe-Nielsen]

Dear Leonie Lepple,

Thank you for this super exciting question. DEPONS can indeed be used for cumulative impact assessments, and this is something we are currently working on as part of several new projects. The new version of DEPONS (v.3.1) allows you to simulate the cumulative impacts of wind farm construction, post-construction noise from turbines and noise for the entire North Sea. This makes it possible to run several different scenarios for future wind farm developments. So the version of DEPONS that you need for your project may already be available!

Best wishes,
Jacob