Quantifying the cOntribUTion of Fouling fauna to the Local carbon budget of an Offshore Wind farm

OUTFLOW investigates how the presence of large densities of fouling fauna on wind turbines in offshore wind farms affect the spatial distribution of organic matter at the local and regional scale. These organisms filter large quantities of organic matter from the water column and return it to the environment as fecal pellets, resulting in a redistribution of organic matter on a large spatial scale. We develop tracers for these fecal pellets, and through a combination of experimental research and modelling we quantify the redistribution of organic matter at the local (turbine), intermediate (wind farm) and regional (southern North Sea) scale