Forskere indsamler vigtige data om kunstige rev under offshore platforme

Livet i havet er under pres mange steder, men måske mindre omkring vores danske Nordsø-platforme. Forskere fra DTU Aqua og Aarhus Universitet Ecoscience indsamler lige nu vigtige miljø- og biodiversitetsdata for bedre at kunne forstå platformenes rolle i at tiltrække marint liv. Resultaterne skal bidrage til beskyttelse af biodiversiteten omkring offshore-platformene.
 

Esbjerg, 3. september 2024 – Et dedikeret hold af forskere og specialister fra TotalEnergies og konsulent- og teknologivirksomheden DHI er netop hjemvendt fra en tre uger lang forskningstur i den danske del af Nordsøen med fokus på biodiversitet. Forskningsholdet indsamlede bundprøver omkring flere af Dansk Undergrunds Consortiums (DUC) offshore-platforme.

De opsamlede også 12 undervandssensorer, der sidste sommer blev placeret ved Skjold-feltet som en del af projektet organiseret af TotalEnergies med Dansk Undergrunds Consortium, DTU Offshore, DTU Aqua og Aarhus Universitet Ecoscience. Samtidigt satte de fire nye sensorer ud ved Tyra-, Harald-, Dan- og Skjold-felterne.

”Undervandssensorerne, de såkaldte hydrofoner, registrerer adfærden hos mærkede torsk og ekkolokaliserende havpattedyr som marsvin, der færdes omkring vores offshore platforme. Det hjælper os med bedre at kunne forstå den rolle, platformene spiller som føde- og gydepladser for marint liv. De foreløbige resultater fra vores indledende undersøgelse viser, at jo tættere man bevæger sig på platformene, jo flere fisk finder man, og jo større er de,” siger seniorforsker Jon C. Svendsen, DTU Aqua.

De nye sensorer er blevet placeret på tværs af forskellige olie- og gasplatforme for også at indsamle indsigt i fordelingen af torsk og marsvin mellem de forskellige lokationer.

“I anden fase af undersøgelsen udvider vi omfanget fra ét offshore-felt til fire felter. Det vil give os indsigt i, hvordan de mærkede torsk bevæger sig, og om marsvinene bruger andre platforme på samme måde. Vi tror på, at kvaliteten af de indsamlede data vil udfylde vigtige huller i den videnskabelige viden, der kan bruges både i olie- og gassektoren samt i vindmølleindustrien,” siger professor Jonas Teilmann ved Institut for Ecoscience på Aarhus Universitet i Roskilde.

Offshore-platforme som revhabitater
Mange offshore-platforme har været i drift i over 30 år. I løbet af deres lange levetid har de ikke kun bidraget til energisikkerheden, men de har også ageret som gyde- og fødepladser for livet under havoverfladen.

“Når man planlægger en nedtagning af platforme, skal ejerne, myndighederne og relevante beslutningstagere overveje hvordan det påvirker det marine liv at fjerne offshore-strukturerne. Et stigende antal studier peger på, at platformenes ben agerer revhabitat for fisk og havpattedyr. Derfor er det vigtigt, at vi indsamler et solidt datagrundlag så vi kan træffe informerede beslutninger,” siger Charlotte N. Larsen, programleder hos DTU Offshore - Danish Offshore Technology Center.

I løbet af de kommende måneder fortsætter analysen af den indsamlede data. De sensorer, der blev sat ud for nyligt, samles op ved årets udgang. Det vil markere afslutningen på dette projekts feltkampagne.

“Nordsøen er hjemsted for vores danske driftsaktiviteter, så det er afgørende, at vi forstår det maritime liv omkring vores platforme. Vi er glade og stolte over vores samarbejde med dygtige forskere og eksperter, der bidrager med værdifuld viden om miljø- og biodiversitetstendenser omkring platformene. Den indsamlede data guider vores beslutninger om aktiviteterne til havs, og det er vores håb, at det bredere samfund, herunder industri, myndigheder og beslutningstagere, også kan drage fordel af det,” siger Katrina Povidisa-Delefosse, Senior Environment Advisor hos TotalEnergies Denmark og Ph.d. i marinbiologi.

TotalEnergies, sammen med DUC-partnerne BlueNord og Nordsøfonden, og DHI lancerer sammen en åben dataportal – North Sea Environment Portal – som vil give offentligheden adgang til mere end 30 års data vedrørende miljø- og biodiversitetstendenser.

“De mange undersøgelser foretaget af DHI og TotalEnergies med DUC gennem årene har gjort det muligt at opnå en tilbundsgående forståelse for udviklingen i havbundens kemi, samt det hvirvelløse dyreliv ved og omkring platformene. Langtidsdata giver os mulighed for at studere tendenser i havbundens kemi og sammensætning samt antallet af hvirvelløse arter, herunder muslinger, snegle og børsteorme. Bemærkelsesværdigt viser data en stigning i antallet af hvirvelløse arter over tid,” siger seniorprojektleder og biolog Jesper Goodley Dannisøe, DHI.

De indsamlede data vil blive føjet til North Sea Environment Portal, som lanceres i fjerde kvartal af 2024.

Yderligere materiale:

Download relevant visuelt materiale her.

Besøg DTU's videoer, der visuelt forklarer biodiversitetsundersøgelsen nedenfor:

• The importance of oil and gas platforms for fish in the North Sea
• Exploring fish abundance and biodiversity at an oil and gas platform in the North Sea
• Are oil and gas platforms in the North Sea providing a spawning area for Atlantic cod?

TotalEnergies mediekontakt:
Thorkild Diness Jensen / Chef for ekstern kommunikation for TotalEnergies Danmark / +45 20 20 42 36 / [email protected]

DHI A/S mediekontakt:
Annette Mystek / DHI Corporate Communication / +45 20 88 77 70 / [email protected].

DTU Offshore mediekontakt:      
Jakob Werner / Kommunikationschef for DTU Offshore - Dansk Offshore Teknologi Center, Mob. / +45 93 51 02 87 / [email protected]

DTU Aqua mediekontakt:
Anne Trap-Lind / Presse og Kommunikations Konsulent/ + 45 93 51 04 11 / [email protected]

Aarhus Universitet mediekontakt:
Michael Strangholt / Kommunikationskonsulent / +45 87151354 / [email protected]k

Om TotalEnergies i Danmark
TotalEnergies er en førende energivirksomhed i Danmark med aktiviteter inden for olie, gas og vedvarende elektricitet. TotalEnergies beskæftiger en mangfoldig og international arbejdsstyrke på omkring 1.200 personer i Esbjerg, offshore og i København. TotalEnergies står for mere end 80% af olien og 90% af den gas, der produceres i Danmark. Driften har stor fokus på at nedbringe drivhusgas-emissioner, hvilket bland andet betød at rutinemæssig flaring blev afviklet i 2023. Derudover er TotalEnergies i gang med at udvikle CO2-lagring i Danmark, som forventes at kunne lagre op til 5 mio. tons CO2 om året fra 2030. Indenfor vedvarende energi udvikler TotalEnergies to havvindmølleprojekter (med en kapacitet på samlet 405 MW) og arbejder på at udvikle yderligere aktiviteter inden for vind, solenergi og biogas. Vores aktiviteter, der går mere end et halvt århundrede tilbage, leverer et vigtigt bidrag til den danske energiforsyning, økonomi og beskæftigelse. 

Om DHI A/S
DHI A/S udvikler, anvender og formidler forskning, teknologi og digitalisering inden for vand og vandmiljø. DHI blev grundlagt i 1964 og er aktiv i 115 lande. Vores 1.100 medarbejdere rådgiver virksomheder og offentlige institutioner i at fremme bæredygtig udvikling af jordens mest dyrebare ressource – vand. DHI A/S er godkendt som teknologisk serviceinstitut (GTS) af Forsknings- og Uddannelsesministeriet og er en del af GTS-netværket.

Om DTU Offshore
DTU Offshore - Danish Offshore Technology Center - er Danmarks nationale forsknings- og udviklingscenter for offshore-teknologier og har en central position i energiomstillingen. Vi udvikler forskningsbaserede teknologiløsninger til industrien i Nordsøen. Vores forsknings- og udviklingsprojekter leverer løsninger til offshore-industrien inden for områder som CO2-lagring, spildevandshåndtering og miljøpåvirkning. DTU Offshore - Dansk Offshore Teknologicenter - er et offentligt-privat partnerskab mellem DTU, Københavns Universitet, Aarhus Universitet, Aalborg Universitet og GEUS. Vi samler teams på tværs af netværket for at udnytte den banebrydende ekspertise fra hver partnerinstitution.

Om DTU Aqua
DTU Aqua - Det Nationale Institut for Akvatiske Ressourcer - arbejder for velfungerende have, floder og søer, hvor biodiversiteten kan trives. Vores forskning, rådgivning og uddannelse bidrager til udviklingen af en bæredygtig blå bioøkonomi, robuste akvatiske økosystemer og reducerede effekter af klimaforandringer. Vi har et stort nationalt og internationalt netværk og samarbejder med forskningspartnere, offentlige myndigheder, industrien og NGO'er.

Om Aarhus University – Department of Ecoscience
Institut for Økovidenskab er engageret i forskningsprogrammer og rådgivningsarbejde, der dækker de vigtigste biologiske underdiscipliner. Vi udfører forskning i verdensklasse inden for områderne akvatisk biologi og økologi, arktisk miljø og økosystemer, biodiversitet, bevaringsbiologi og vildtforvaltning. Instituttet beskæftiger i øjeblikket ca. 275 akademiske og tekniske medarbejdere samt mange ph.d.-studerende, fordelt på to geografiske lokationer i Aarhus og Roskilde. For mere information om instituttet se: http://ecos.au.dk/en/. For mere information om Sektionen for Havpattedyrforskning se: https://ecos.au.dk/en/researchconsultancy/research-areas/marine-mammal-research).

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ENGLISH VERSION

Researchers collect important data on artificial reefs beneath offshore platforms

Life at sea is under pressure in many places but may be less so around our Danish North Sea platforms. Researchers from DTU-Aqua and Aarhus University-EcoScience are now gathering critical environmental and biodiversity data to better understand the role of the platforms in attracting marine life. The findings will contribute to the future protection of biodiversity around offshore platforms.

Esbjerg, 3 September 2024 – A dedicated team of researchers and specialists from TotalEnergies and consulting and technology company DHI have just returned from a three-week long biodiversity research expedition in the Danish North Sea. The research team collected seabed samples from several of the Danish Underground Consortium's (DUC) offshore platforms.

They also gathered 12 offshore underwater sensors placed last summer at the Skjold field as part of the project by TotalEnergies with DUC, DTU Offshore, DTU Aqua and Aarhus University-EcoScience, and set out four new sensors at the Tyra, Harald, Dan, and Skjold fields.

“The underwater sensors, so-called hydrophones, record the behavior of tagged cod and echolocating marine mammals such as harbor porpoise around our offshore platforms. This helps us better understand the role our platforms play as feeding and spawning grounds for marine life. The preliminary results from our initial study show that the closer you move to the platforms, the more fish you will find, and the larger they are”, says Senior Scientist Jon C. Svendsen, DTU Aqua.

The new sensors have been deployed across different oil and gas platforms to also collect insights on the distribution of cod and harbor porpoises between the various locations.

“In the second phase of the study, we broadened the scope from one offshore field to four fields. This will help us to provide insights into the movement of the tagged cod and whether harbor porpoises use other similar platforms. We are positive that the quality of the data collected will fill important scientific knowledge gaps to be used both in the oil and gas, as well as the wind industry,” says Professor Jonas Teilmann at Department of EcoScience at Aarhus University in Roskilde.

Offshore platforms as reef habitats
Many offshore platforms have been in operation for over 30 years. Over their long lifespans, they have not only contributed to energy security, but they have provided spawning and feeding grounds for marine life.

“When planning for decommissioning, platform owners, authorities and policymakers must consider the marine environmental impact of removing the offshore structures. Growing evidence suggests that platform legs provide reef habitats for fish and marine mammals, so it is important that we collect a solid data foundation to make informed decisions”, says Charlotte N. Larsen, Program Manager at DTU Offshore - Danish Offshore Technology Center.

During the coming months, the analysis of all data collected will continue. The sensors just deployed will be picked up by the end of this year and thereby mark the end of this project's field campaign.

"The North Sea is the home of our Danish operations, so it is crucial we understand the marine life around our platforms. We are pleased and proud to collaborate with skilled researchers and experts to gain valuable knowledge about the environment and biodiversity trends around platforms. The data guides our decisions relating to activities at sea, and our hope is that the wider society, including industry, authorities, and policymakers can also benefit from it," says Katrina Povidisa-Delefosse, Senior Environment Advisor at TotalEnergies Denmark and PhD in Marine Biology.

TotalEnergies, along with DUC partners BlueNord and Nordsøfonden, and DHI will launch an open data portal – the North Sea Environment Portal – which will provide access to more than 30 years of data on environmental and biodiversity trends.

“The many surveys undertaken by DHI and TotalEnergies with DUC over the years enabled a deep understanding of the development of seabed chemistry and the invertebrate fauna at and around the platforms. The long-term data allows us to study trends in seabed chemistry and the composition and number of invertebrate species including mussels, snails, and bristle worms. Notably, the data shows an increase in the number of invertebrate species over time”, says Senior Project Manager and Biologist Jesper Goodley Dannisøe from DHI.

The data collected will be added to the North Sea Environment Portal which will launch in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Further material:

Download relevant visual materials here.

Visit DTU’s videos that visually explain the biodiversity study below:

• The importance of oil and gas platforms for fish in the North Sea
• Exploring fish abundance and biodiversity at an oil and gas platform in the North Sea
• Are oil and gas platforms in the North Sea providing a spawning area for Atlantic cod?

TotalEnergies media contact:
Thorkild Diness Jensen / Head of External Communications for TotalEnergies Denmark / +45 20 20 42 36 / [email protected]

DHI A/S media contact:
Annette Mystek / DHI Corporate Communication / +45 20 88 77 70 / [email protected].

DTU Offshore media contact:
Jakob Werner / Head of Communication for DTU Offshore – Danish Offshore Technology Centre, Mob. / +45 93 51 02 87 / [email protected]

DTU Aqua media contact:
Anne Trap-Lind / Press and Communications Consultant/ + 45 93 51 04 11 / [email protected]

Aarhus University media contact:
Michael Strangholt / Communications Consultant / +45 87151354 / [email protected]

About TotalEnergies in Denmark
TotalEnergies is a leading energy company in Denmark, with operations in oil & gas as well as renewable electricity, employing a diverse and international workforce of around 1,200 people located in Esbjerg, offshore, and in Copenhagen. TotalEnergies operates more than 80% of oil and 90% of gas produced in Denmark, with a strong focus on emissions reductions as demonstrated by the end of routine flaring on its assets in 2023. In addition, the Company is developing carbon storage projects in the country, which could store up to 5 Mt/y of CO₂ by 2030. In Integrated Power, TotalEnergies is developing two offshore wind projects (for a capacity of 405 MW) and is working on developing additional activities in wind, solar energy and biogas. Dating back more than half a century, our operations deliver an important contribution to the Danish energy supply, economy, and employment.

About DHI
DHI has been committed to advancing and sharing knowledge of water environments for over half a century. Headquartered in Denmark, we have offices in 26 countries. Every day, our 1,100 engineers and other specialists work within the entire water cycle to innovate new ways to use, manage and live with water and protect water-related ecosystems. We leverage our domain expertise, advanced technologies and unique modelling software to support decision-makers in the global water industry. Together with our clients and partners, we enable a sustainable future for water.

About DTU Offshore
DTU Offshore – Danish Offshore Technology Centre – is Denmark’s national R&D center for offshore technologies and holds a central position in the energy transition. We develop research-based technology solutions for the industry in the North Sea. Our research and development projects deliver solutions to the offshore industry in areas such as CO2 storage, wastewater management, and environmental impact. DTU Offshore - Danish Offshore Technology Centre - is a public-private partnership between DTU, University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, Aalborg University, and GEUS. We gather teams across the network to utilize the cutting-edge expertise of each partner institution.

About DTU Aqua
DTU Aqua – National Institute of Aquatic Resources – works for well-functioning oceans, rivers, and lakes where biodiversity can thrive. Our research, advisory service, and education contribute to the development of a sustainable blue bioeconomy, robust aquatic ecosystems, and reduced effects of climate change. We have a large national and international network and cooperate with research partners, public authorities, industry, and NGOs.

About Aarhus University – Department of EcoScience
The Department of EcoScience is engaged in research programs and advisory work covering the major biological subdisciplines. We conduct world-class research in the areas of aquatic biology and ecology, Arctic environment and ecosystems, biodiversity, conservation biology and wildlife management. The Department currently employs approximately 275 academic and technical staff, as well as many PhD students, distributed at two geographical locations in Aarhus and Roskilde. For more information on the Department see: http://ecos.au.dk/en/. For more information on the Section for Marine Mammal Research see: https://ecos.au.dk/en/researchconsultancy/research-areas/marine-mammal-research).