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For the first time, researchers have seeded part of an offshore wind turbine with thousands of coral larvae. If the larvae latch onto the structure and flourish, turbines in tropical waters could become havens for struggling corals.听听

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that no one has done before,鈥� says at the Danish energy company 脴rsted, which has partnered with researchers at Penghu Marine Biology Research Center in Taiwan for the project called .听听

The idea is to address the loss of reefs worldwide by providing new habitats for corals. Because reefs are highly sensitive to changes in water temperature and acidity, climate change has caused many corals to and die. In addition to hosting around 25 per cent of ocean biodiversity, reefs are an economic and cultural backbone of tropical coastal communities.听听

The scientists鈥� first step was to collect , which the creatures release into the surrounding water annually in a mass coral spawning event. They scooped seawater from the shorelines of the Penghu Islands off the coast of Taiwan after one such event last summer. They selected the site because it is just 50 kilometres north of 脴rsted鈥檚 new set of offshore wind farms that will have 112 turbines when complete. The idea is that corals collected from the area will be more likely to settle well and wouldn鈥檛 introduce new species to the local ecosystem.听听听

The researchers then brought the spawn back to their lab in the city of Magong on Penghu鈥檚 largest island. After five days of incubation, they had tiny swimming larvae that were ready to settle and grow into corals.听

Following two years of testing to see if the corals would attach to steel turbine bases in the lab, the scientists were ready to put the larvae in place. At low tide, they travelled to an offshore turbine and secured a metal screen to a vertical section of the steel structure fixed to the seabed. They selected a location on the base around 1 metre below the water level to provide enough sunlight for the algae that live within the corals to photosynthesise. 听

The researchers then poured thousands of larvae behind the mesh barrier to encourage them to attach to the foundation. After four days, they removed the screen with the hope that the coral larvae had settled onto their new homes. Over the course of this week, the researchers plan to repeat the process on two more turbines. They will visit the structures again in several months to monitor the corals鈥� progress.听

Because most corals grow just centimetres each year, it will be months or even years before it is clear if they can thrive on the turbines. The temperature of the deeper water around the wind turbines tends to be more stable than in shallower areas, so these corals may avoid warm-water bleaching events that strike natural reefs. 听

鈥淚s it going to make a massive difference to coral reefs on a global scale? Probably not,鈥� says at Lancaster University in the UK, who isn鈥檛 involved in the project. 听

She says that addressing climate change is the top priority for saving reefs, but any effort to bolster corals is a step in the right direction. 鈥淸The turbines] could act as a refuge from thermal stress and potentially they could help reseed other areas,鈥� she says. 听

If a diverse and healthy reef starts to form, 脴rsted plans to expand the project to other turbines and larger seeding zones.听

鈥淚f the coral larvae settle on this structure, it can be used on not only wind turbines, but also bridges or oil foundations that are placed in these kinds of tropical waters,鈥� says 脴rsted鈥檚 .听

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