Aerial Seabird Surveys
Before embarking on any major offshore wind farm project it is important to assess the potential impact of the scheme on the wider environment and balance any potential impacts against the benefits of proceeding with the project. When working offshore one of the key elements of any environmental impact assessment, (EIA) is a detailed study of how seabirds utilize the proposed development site. Many of the features which make a site suitable for an offshore wind farm also make the site attractive to seabirds. Often rare or endangered seabird species live or feed in the areas identified for development, so detailed studies are required to ensure that any development does not harm these valuable birds.
Blom has worked closely with experts from the National Environmental Research Institute (NERI), in Denmark to develop an effective method for surveying seabirds in challenging offshore locations. Using high resolution digital imagery captured from an aircraft, Blom is able to gather data on the behavior, composition, distribution and number of seabirds without disturbing them in any way.
Our partners at NERI then analyse the imagery using advanced object based analysis software and complex statistical algorithms, to produce detailed seabird distribution and density models in the study area. This analysis includes various environmental covariates to improve the accuracy of the results and can be presented as GIS Shapefiles, or as a written report to form part of a wider EIA process.
The Blom imaged based approach to seabird surveys has a number of advantages over human observer based studies; the surveys are less subjective, faster and create a permanent record for independent QC. The innovative service has a number of applications before, during and post-construction.
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