Active acoustic instruments (echosounders) are well-suited for collecting high-resolution information on fish abundance and distribution in the areas targeted for tidal energy

development

Pseudosound caused by turbulent pressure fluctuations in fluid flow past a hydrophone, referred to as flow noise, can mask propagating sounds of interest. Flow shields can mitigate flow noise by reducing non-acoustic pressure fluctuations sensed by a hydrophone.

The placement and operation of marine energy deployments in the ocean have the potential to change flow patterns, decrease wave heights, and/or remove energy from the oceanographic system

Global expansion of marine renewable energy (MRE) technologies is needed to help address the impacts of climate change, to ensure a sustainable transition from carbon-based energy sources, and to meet national energy security needs using locally-generated electricity.

Understanding the spatiotemporal distributions of migratory marine species at marine renewable energy sites is a crucial step towards assessing the potential impacts of tidal stream turbines and related infrastructure upon these species.

Understanding the abundance and distribution of fish in tidal energy streams is important for assessing the risks presented by the introduction of tidal energy devices into the habitat

As tidal current and marine hydro-kinetic energy converters start to be deployed in pre commercial arrays, it is critical that the design conditions are properly characterised

The placement and operation of marine energy deployments in the ocean have the potential to change flow patterns, decrease wave heights, and/or remove energy from the oceanographic system.

Understanding the abundance and distribution of fish in tidal energy streams is important for assessing the risks presented by the introduction of tidal energy devices into the habitat. However, tidal current flows suitable for tidal energy development are often highly turbulent and entrain air into the water, complicating the interpretation of echosounder data.

Understanding the environmental effects of marine energy (ME) devices is fundamental for their sustainable development and efficient regulation

The deployment of infrastructure in the ocean is often slowed due to the potential harm of animals in the area. In the Bay of Fundy, the deployment of tidal farms have been explored for several years, however there is a large population of harbour porpoises.

Understanding the environmental effects of marine energy (ME) devices is fundamental for their sustainable development and efficient regulation. However, measuring effects is difficult given the limited number of operational devices currently deployed.

We determined patterns of seasonal abundance and diversity of seabirds and coastal waterfowl in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada using quantitative, shore-based point surveys from mid-March to late August and mid-October to December 2010 to 2012.

Multibeam imaging sonars can be used to monitor fish and marine mammal presence and behaviours in the near-field of tidal turbine installations, including evaluating avoidance, evasion, and potential blade strikes. Previous work in the Pathway Program recommended use of the Tritech Gemini 720is, which demonstrated a high level of utility for visually detecting and tracking targets from vessel and bottom-mounted orientations in tidal flows up to approximately 2.5 m/s in Grand Passage, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia.

A modelling framework identifies deployment locations for current-energy-capture devices that maximise power output while minimising potential environmental impacts. The framework, based on the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code, can incorporate site-specific environmental constraints.

This study characterizes the turbulence in a 3.6 m s−1 tidal channel in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia that has been identified for development as a tidal power resource. A horizontally aimed fast-sampling single beam acoustic Doppler profiler was deployed on a subsurface buoy, and the flow-aligned profile is used to test the cross-spectral (Garbini 1982a,b) and the spatial structure function methods for estimating dissipation rates of turbulent kinetic energy.

Biological/Ecological Effects, PhD Thesis: Haley Viehman (2016/12)

Research and development of alternative energy resources such as wave energy has always attracted significant attention due to their abundant and sustainable nature. The uncertainties associated with the marine environment and the significant costs required for implementation of Wave Energy Converters (WECs) require a sound decision making methodology.

The marine environment in the Bay of Fundy hosts a dynamic and diverse soundscape that is a fundamental component of the local ecosystem. The emergence of new human marine activities and infrastructure, such as tidal turbine installations, introduces new sound sources that change or disrupt the existing acoustic environment, but the full extent of these changes is not well understood and is not predictable.

This letter outlines Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Fisheries Protection Program comments on the proposed Environmental Effects Monitoring Programs (EEMP) for the latest version of the 2016-2020 for the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) and CSTV received May 20, 2016.

In recent years, countries around the world have been making significant strides toward building or renewing their energy infrastructures based on clear renewable portfolio standards (“RPS”), in which they set targets for renewable energy production within a given timeframe (1). Early in the spring of 2015, for example, Costa Rica made news for having powered its entire country off of renewable energy alone for three full months (2).

I’m a professor in the Community Development and the Environmental and Sustainability Studies programs. Exploring community assets, capacities and how these collectively support a sustainable society has been the focus of much of my research. Community and stakeholder engagement, and to a lesser extent, socio-economic costs and benefits of tidal energy development have framed my recent research activities.

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Argo Environmental Ltd. (2006)

This report explores the growth prospects for the ocean economy, its capacity for future employment creation and innovation, and its role in addressing global challenges. Special attention is devoted to the emerging ocean-based industries in light of their high growth and innovation potential, and contribution to addressing challenges such as energy security, environment, climate change and food security.

Tidal power potential is determined across the Western Passage in Passamaquoddy Bay using the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM).

Tidal power potential is determined across the Western Passage in Passamaquoddy Bay using the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM).

Minas Basin in the Bay of Fundy has the world’s largest tidal range and exchanges approximately 110 billion tonnes of water twice a day with tidal currents up to 5 ms-1 through Minas Passage, making it an ideal site for tidal power extraction. In this thesis a multi-domain high-resolution hydrodynamic model of Minas Basin is implemented and used to investigate: a) the relative influence of vegetation on flow routing in a macrotidal estuary to develop an understanding of the intertidal hydrodynamics in the natural system; and b) the implications of tidal energy extraction on basin-scale suspended sediment concentrations by simulating in-stream turbines.

I am a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics who uses mathematical models and numerical simulations to do research in physical oceanography and fluid dynamics. For the past eight years, I’ve led a team of Acadia students and research assistants that have researched the potential of tidal energy in the Bay of Fundy. Working in collaboration with other universities, several Nova Scotia businesses, and the Nova Scotian and Canadian governments, our team has calculated the size of the resource and determined the best possible locations for turbines. And along the way, we’ve also learned an incredible amount about the tides of the Bay of Fundy.

Despite robust research, prototype development and demonstration of in-stream tidal energy devices, progress to the commercialization stage has been slow. Some of this can be attributed to a lack readiness or financing.

The expansion of the marine renewable energy (MRE) sector will increase pressure on sea space and existing maritime users which could potentially lead to conflict. Commercial fishing has been identified by many as the industry most likely to be affected by the development of MRE.

Information about seabed stability and sediment dynamics is part of the fundamental geoscience knowledge required for the extraction of tidal energy in the Bay of Fundy, and for the integrated management of the Bay.

Large sediment-laden ice cakes form in the Minas Basin and concern has been raised that they might pose a substantial danger to in-stream tidal turbines deployed in strong tides of Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy.

The Choice Experiment (CE) technique is applied for the first time to one of the most promising marine renewables, tidal stream energy, with two objectives: (i) to investigate the public perceptions of this renewable, and (ii) to estimate the externalities, i.e., the monetary value of the impacts of a tidal stream farm.

Developments to test TISEC devices and harness tidal energy from high flow sites in the Minas Passage require examination of the potential effects of tidal turbines on the environment, including impacts on marine mammals.

In the winter, the tidal flats in the Bay of Fundy are littered with large muddy icebergs that are dense enough to sink. This sediment-laden ice to poses a risk to tidal power infrastructure. I attempted to identify echoes from the interior of the ice using a broadband echosounder system

Environmental impacts, including tidal regimes and sediment transport in the Minas Basin, caused by tidal power extraction in the Minas Passage have been investigated using a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model in which tidal power extraction is represented using an arbitrary method that adds a friction term to the standard momentum equations.

River hydrokinetic turbines may be an economical alternative to traditional energy sources for small communities on Alaskan rivers. However, there is concern that sound from these turbines could affect sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), an important resource for small, subsistence based communities, commercial fisherman, and recreational anglers.

A one‐day workshop was held in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, bringing together regulators, marine energy researchers, and industry representatives, to determine what data are needed and what data can realistically be collected, to assist with siting and permitting (consenting), as well as with effects monitoring, of marine energy devices.

The potential rapid development of tidal energy and accompanying structures in the coastal waters in several regions of Canada, and the world, will require subsurface sampling tools to monitor and evaluate the biological and environmental effects of this new industry.

Understanding and providing proactive information on the potential for tidal energy projects to cause changes to the physical system and to key water quality constituents in tidal waters is a necessary and cost-effective means to avoid costly regulatory involvement and late stage surprises in the permitting process.

This paper assesses the applicability of the Frame of Reference (FoR) approach for the environmental monitoring of large-scale offshore Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) projects.

This paper explores the role of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in advancing the 'Blue Economy'.

This Report describes and summarizes the outcomes of a stakeholder and community engagement program implemented as the second stage of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) for the Cape Breton Coastal Region and the Bras d’Or Lakes.

In 2012, the Nova Scotia Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Province’s Marine Renewable Energy Strategy (MRES)to outline the pathway for the development of tidal energy. Implementing the strategy will create the conditions necessary to support the advancement of both large utility-scale and community-scale tidal projects, and also to broaden strategic research and testing initiatives. Taken together, these actions will help to achieve a 300 megawatt (MW) target of commercial development beyond 2020.

Large eddy simulations of a model scale tidal turbine encountering inflow turbulence have been performed. This has allowed both unsteady blade loading and hydrodynamic noise radiation to be predicted. The study is motivated by the need to assess environmental impact of tidal devices, in terms of their acoustic impact on marine species.

Biological/Ecological Effects: Waggitt, J.and B. Scott (2014)

In 2007 the Nova Scotia Department of Energy commissioned the Offshore Energy Research Association of Nova Scotia (OERA) to complete a Phase I Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to guide the development of tidal energy in the Bay of Fundy.

In 2012, the Nova Scotia Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Province’s Marine Renewable Energy Strategy (MRES)to outline the pathway for the development of tidal energy. Implementing the strategy will create the conditions necessary to support the advancement of both large utility-scale and community-scale tidal projects, and also to broaden strategic research and testing initiatives. Taken together, these actions will help to achieve a 300 megawatt (MW) target of commercial development beyond 2020.

The addition of man-made structures to the marine environment is known to increase the physical complexity of the seafloor, which can influence benthic species community patterns and habitat structure.

On land, species from all trophic levels have adapted to fill vacant niches in environments heavily modified by humans (e.g. [1] ). In the marine environment, ocean infrastructure has led to artificial reefs, resulting in localized increases in fish and crustacean density [2] .

At present, few studies exist that consider the relationship between species interactions and key environmental variables, with the added influence of offshore marine renewable energy technologies. Video footage and ADCP survey techniques were used, to examine the presence of fish and velocity flow rates within the vicinity of a deployed tidal energy device.

The pressure to develop new and renewable forms of energy to combat climate change, ocean acidification, and energy security has encouraged exploration of sources of power generation from the ocean. One of the major challenges to deploying these devices is discerning the likely effects those devices and associated systems will have on the marine environment.

Miscellaneous: Government of Nova Scotia (2014)

As the wave and tidal industry plans for initial commercial deployments, significant uncertainties remain about the risks to marine animals and habitats from wave and tidal devices; this uncertainty continues to slow and complicate siting and permitting (consenting) processes.

Two river instream hydrokinetic (RISEC) devices were installed in the Kvichak River, Alaska in 2014 to demonstrate the ability to generate hydroelectric power.

Power generated from marine energy devices, including those that harvest power from the waves and tides, has the potential to help meet the low-carbon energy needs of many coastal nations.

The spectral properties of pulses transmitted by three commercially available 200 kHz echo sounders were measured to assess the possibility that marine mammals might hear sound energy below the center (carrier) frequency that may be generated by transmitting short rectangular pulses.

The Tanana River hydrokinetic characterization study started in 2009, when little was known about how river environments in Alaska would affect hydrokinetic power generating devices or how those devices might affect the state’s river environments.

This project set out to develop a link between Oceanographic computer models and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models in order to improve state of the art modeling techniques used for resource assessments and tidal turbine siting for both single and multiple TISECs.

Successfully implementing tidal-based marine renewable energy projects in Nova Scotia will largely depend on the level of community engagement. However, in most instances community and stakeholder engagement is poorly planned and underfunded. The Tidal Energy Community Engagement Handbook was developed to support community and stakeholder engagement for the Community Feed-in Tariff program and to specifically support those projects related to tidal energy development.

The Community and Business Toolkit for Tidal Energy Development contains a series of modules that describe opportunities and strategies for communities and businesses to become involved in tidal energy development.

The Community and Business Toolkit for Tidal Energy Development contains a series of modules that describe opportunities and strategies for communities and businesses to become involved in tidal energy development.

Biological/Ecological Effects: James, V. (2013)

The Community and Business Toolkit for Tidal Energy Development contains a series of modules that describe opportunities and strategies for communities and businesses to become involved in tidal energy development.

This report presents an update on the extractable power potential of tidal currents in a number of passages around Nova Scotia. Since initial reports by EPRI [1] and the Triton [2] were produced, we have gained a better understanding of how the extraction of power from tidal currents affect the tidal system.

Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Sanderson, B.G., A.M. Redden and J.E. Broome (2012)

The Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine system has a natural resonant period very close to the main semi-diurnal lunar tide. This results in the world’s highest tides and strong tidal currents in the Bay of Fundy, particularly in Minas Channel and Minas Basin.

The Nova Scotia government has approved tidal power Community-Feed-in-Tariffs for Digby Gut and Petit Passage, two passages along the coast of the Bay of Fundy.

The Fundy Energy Research Network (FERN) Socio-Economic Scoping Study provides a state-of-knowledge comprehensive review of the socio-economic issues associated with tidal in-stream energy conversion (TISEC). Highlighted in this report are international, national and provincial level research, regulatory frameworks and projects.

This document is intended to provoke a broader engagement in discussions about the potential for jobs and careers, and the business and economic role that can result as marine renewable energy resources are developed in Atlantic Canada for the benefit of generations to come.

Rural maritime communities are often located at the end of the line; adjacent to abundant marine resources but unable to transmit power due to ageing electrical infrastructure designed to transmit power from large thermal power plants. This paper draws experience from communities located adjacent to Grand Passage and Petit Passage, Nova Scotia and could be applied to similar maritime communities such as the Isle of Islay in Scotland.

Biological/Ecological Effects, Socio-economics: Membertou Geomatics Solutions (2012)

The scientific literature points out that the potential impacts of this type of activity will be different depending on the various phases of construction, operation and dismantling.

Miscellaneous: Keefe, D.J. (2012)

The rapid development of in-stream tidal energy conversion (TISEC) presents a mix of challenges for environmental scientists and regulators.

In-stream tidal energy initiatives are rapidly developing in Nova Scotia, but there remains a high degree of uncertainty regarding the nature and extent (in space and time) of environmental implications of energy harvesting activities.

The Minas Basin, the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy, is well known for its high tide ranges and strong tidal currents, which can be exploited to extract electricity power. The properties of the tidally-induced sediment transport in the Minas Basin, where significant changes in tidal processes may occur due to a recently proposed tidal power project, have been studied with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, an empirical bed load sediment transport model and surface sediment concentrations derived from the remotely-sensed images.

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: van Rein, H, D.S. Schoeman, C.J. Brown, R. Quinn and J. Breen (2011)

Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Kadiri, M., R. Ahmadian, B. Bockelmann-Evans, W. Rauen and R. Falconer. (2011)

Miscellaneous, Socio-economics: Portman, Michelle and Fishhendler, Itay (2011)

Socio-economics: Jeffrey, Henry and Sedgwick, Jonathan (2011)

The Bay of Fundy is rich source of tidal energy. Nova Scotia is turning its attention to this resource to reduce its reliance on coal and for economic development. Socioeconomic research is needed to help develop this nascent industry. The potential goes beyond green energy: with the involvement of universities, development of world-class expertise can be achieved.

This report presents work related to the first stage: development of PoE models, that are conceptual representations of predicted relationships between human activities and their associated sub-activities - the pressures - and the environmental effects or impacts that they may have on specific ecological endpoints.

Biological/Ecological Effects: Schweizer, P.E., G. F. Cada, and M. S. Bevelhimer (2011)

Anthropogenic electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have been introduced into the marine environment around the world and from a wide variety of sources for well over a century. Despite this, little is known about potential ecological impacts from EMFs. For decades, power transmission cables have been installed across bays and river mouths, and connecting near-shore islands to the mainland, with little consideration of possible effects to marine species from EMFs.

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: van Rein, H, D.S. Schoeman, C.J. Brown, R. Quinn and J. Breen (2011)

Miscellaneous, Socio-economics: renewableUK (2011)

Miscellaneous, Socio-economics: Portman, Michelle and Fishhendler, Itay (2011)

Coastal states and nations are conducting marine spatial planning (MSP) at an ever-increasing pace. Some MSP efforts are aimed at planning areas at a subnational level, whereas others extend as far as 200 nautical miles from shore, within national exclusive economic zones.

Biological/Ecological Effects: Cada, G.F. and M. S. Bevelhimer (2011)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Kramer S., M. Previsic, P. Nelson, and S. Woo (2010)

Socio-economics: Welsh Assembly Government (2010)

There is a growing demand for the use of renewable energy technologies to generate electricity due to concerns over climate change. The oceans provide a huge potential resource of energy.

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Royal Haskoning Ltd., (2010)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Kramer S., M. Previsic, P. Nelson, and S. Woo (2010)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Boehlert, G. W., and A. B. Gill (2010)

Biological/Ecological Effects: Mueller-Blenkle, C., P.K. McGregor, A.B. Gill, M.H. Andersson, J. Metcalfe, V. Bendall, P. Sigray, D.T. Wood, and F. Thomsen (2010)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Isaacman, L., and K. Lee (2010)

Miscellaneous: Raventós, A., T. Simas, A. Moura, G. Harrison, C. Thomson and J.-F. Dhedin. (2010)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Engineering: Bassett, C., J. Thomson, and B. Polagye. (2010)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Royal Haskoning Ltd., (2009)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Simas, T., A. Moura, R. Batty, D. Thompson, and J. Norris (2009)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Snohomish County Public Utility District No. 1, (2009)

Biological/Ecological Effects: Langhamer, O., and D. Wilhelmsson (2009)

Biological/Ecological Effects: NORMANDEAU ASSOCIATES INC. (2009)

PREPARED FOR HYDRO GREEN ENERGY, LLC

Link: http://www.hgenergy.com/Hastings%20Agencies%20Review%20Draft%2012-21-09.pdf

Keywords: fish, blade strike

Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Verdant Power Inc., (2008)

In British Columbia and throughout Canada there is growing interest in the development of renewable ocean energy projects (ROE) that rely on tidal, wave, and wind energy.

Biological/Ecological Effects: Wilhelmsson, D. and T. Malm (2008)

Biological/Ecological Effects: Envirosphere Consultants Limited, (2008)

Biological/Ecological Effects: Wilson, B., R.S. Batty, F. Daunt, and C. Carter. Scotland. PA25 1QA. 110 p. (2007)

Socio-economics: Doelle, M., D. Russell, P. Saunders, D. VanderZwaag, and D. Wright (2006)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Geophysics/Hydrodynamics: Royal Haskoning Ltd., (2005)

Biological/Ecological Effects, Engineering: Fisher, P. R., and N. J. C. Tregenza (2003)

Link: http://www.nature-shetland.co.uk/seamammal/Porpoise%20monitoring%20report%20fisher%20_%20tregenza%202003.pdf

Keywords: marine mammals, monitoring techniques