In the Wadden Sea, intertidal mussel beds of the blue mussel ( Mytilus edulis ) and the Pacific oyster ( Magallana gigas ) form distinct epibenthic communities and local hotspots of high biomass and biodiversity. To detect and evaluate natural and anthropogenic processes, a ground-based monitoring program started over 25 years ago in the German Wadden Sea. In this study, we describe the potential of drones and machine learning...

In this study, the annual movements of a seabird species, the red-throated diver ( Gavia stellata ), were investigated in space and time. Between 2015 and 2017, 33 individuals were fitted with satellite transmitters at the German Bight (eastern North Sea). In addition, stable isotope analyses of feathers (δ 13 C) were used to identify staging areas during the previous moult. The German Bight is an important area for this speci...

The utilization of marine renewable energies such as offshore wind farming leads to globally expanding human activities in marine habitats. While knowledge on the responses to offshore wind farms and associated shipping traffic is accumulating now at a fast pace, it becomes important to assess the population impacts on species affected by those activities. In the North Sea, the protected diver species Red-throated Diver ( Gavi...

The construction of industrial offshore structures may lead to colonization by a variety of marine organisms resulting in locally enhanced biodiversity and biomass, which may then affect the habitat use and behavior of marine predators. For harbor porpoises high nocturnal echolocation activity was demonstrated near industrial structures and it was hypothesized that this was caused by increased feeding opportunities at night. H...