Tidal Turbine Fish Strike & Sediment Wake Simulator: Balancing Renewable Energy with Marine Ecosystems

What Tidal Turbines Are

Tidal turbines harness the kinetic energy of ocean tides to generate electricity. These devices are akin to underwater wind turbines, designed to operate efficiently during specific tidal cycles, such as the semi-diurnal M2 cycle which has a period of about 12 hours and 25 minutes.

The efficiency and environmental impact of these turbines depend on various factors, including their design parameters like blade tip-speed ratio and operational strategies.

Fish Behavior Around Tidal Turbines

Fish are sensitive to changes in water flow patterns caused by tidal turbines. As the turbines rotate, they create vortices that can alter local currents, potentially disrupting fish migration and feeding behaviors.

The simulation allows you to observe how fish avoid these areas of high turbulence, which is critical for understanding their survival rates near tidal energy installations.

Sediment Dynamics

Tidal turbines can also impact sediment transport and deposition patterns. The wakes created by the rotors can cause scouring at the seabed, potentially altering habitats for bottom-dwelling organisms.

By adjusting parameters like blade tip-speed ratio, you can explore how different operational settings affect these sediment dynamics.

Mitigation Strategies

To minimize ecological impacts, operators often implement mitigation strategies such as reducing the rotational speed of turbines during critical times when fish are most active or concentrated.

The simulation includes a slow-rotation mitigation mode that demonstrates how these adjustments can reduce fish strike risk and sediment disturbance.

Frequently asked questions

Try it live

Everything above runs in your browser — open Tidal Turbine Fish Strike & Sediment Wake Simulator and change the parameters while it is running. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded, the whole model lives in one tab.