Using remote-sensing data to study the rapid growth of wind farms and their impact on bird habitat in Yellow Sea Wetland, China

• Published in: Remote sensing letters 2024-03, Vol.15 (3), p.245-257
• Main Authors: Zheng, Yue, Wu, Junhong, Sheviakina, Natalia, Zahorodnia, Snizhana, Olha, Tomchenko, Dmytro, Kreta, Trofymchuk, Oleksandr
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bird impact; Birds; geoinformation technologies; Habitats; Migratory birds; Migratory species; nature reserve; Radar; Radar data; Remote sensing; Site selection; Spatial analysis; Temporal variations; Wetlands; Wildlife; Wind; Wind farms; Wind power
• ISSN: 2150-704X; 2150-7058
• DOI: 10.1080/2150704X.2024.2318758

As an important migratory bird habitat along the East Asian-Australasian route, the coastal wetlands along the Yellow Sea have experienced significant human losses and threats due to the impact of wind farms. In this study, the radar data was adopted to examine and analyse the spatial and temporal changes of the human-made characteristic areas that caused the change of the migration route of birds in the Yellow Sea from 2015 to 2022. The results show that the areas of impact zones in the study area on water of the Yellow Sea, during the last 8 years, increased 14 times, from 35.7 km 2 to 506.3 km 2 . The areas of impact zones in the study area on land, during the last 8 years, increased almost two times, from 303.4 km 2 to 544.2 km 2 , which also has a serious impact on the number of migratory birds. Therefore, China should carefully evaluate the impact and potential threat of domestic wind farms under operation and construction on birds and other wildlife, and provide scientific solutions for the site selection of new wind farms.