Stressors and Receptors Interactions between MRE systems and the marine environment can be described in terms of stressors and receptors. Stressors are the parts of a device or system that may cause harm or stress to a marine animal or the environment. Moving blades on turbines, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) associated with power export cables, mooring lines in the water column, and underwater noise from operational devices are examples of some MRE stressors. Receptors include the marine animals living in and traversing the vicinity of an MRE development area, the habitats into which devices are deployed, and the oceanographic and ecosystem processes affected by a device. The complex relationships between stressors and receptors can be examined through observations, laboratory and field experiments, and modeling studies. For MRE, the key stressor-receptor interactions defined by OES-Environmental are collision risk, underwater noise, EMF, changes in habitat, changes in oceanographic systems, entanglement, and displacement.
The human dimensions of MRE development are equally important to consider. The social and economic impacts of an MRE project are similar to those involved in any development. They include job creation, impacts on communities, displacement of or competition with existing users of the space, and equity in the distribution of the costs and benefits of a project. An assessment of these types of impacts is often part of an environmental assessment.
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