Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

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Hard-substrate macrobenthos

Hard substrate provided by offshore installations attract epifouling species, reaching appreciable biomasses. These species change local food webs, with ecological implications for their immediate soft bottom surroundings. They form important habitats, while altering their direct environment chemically and physically. Data can be used to model marine growth weight, thickness, and genetic connectivity, across the North Sea, providing improved estimates to engineers and modelers.

DISCLOSE

Project | Human disturbances, beam trawling, aggregate extraction, dumping or sub-marine cable-laying, have large impacts on the North Sea ecosystem.

ReVIFES

NWO project | North Sea ecosystems have been critically endangered by human activities over the past centuries and severe habitat losses have occurred.

BESE

Project | Many wetland ecosystems ( peatlands, salt marshes, marine reefs) have been either lost or degraded in the last three decades.

INSITE

Project | Measuring the ‘shadow’ of artificial structures in the North Sea and its effect on the surrounding soft bottom community.

RECON-INSITE

Study |The aim is to investigate and model the species distribution and inter-connectivity of reef communities on artificial offshore structures in the North Sea.