Scientists warn that Baltic wind parks may damage salt current

Scientists warn that Baltic wind parks may damage salt current Nov 5, 2005, 17:30 GMT Rostock, Germany - Offshore wind parks planned by Scandinavian, Polish and German companies in the Baltic Sea may disrupt ecologically vital currents of salty water, German scientists warned Saturday. A team from the Warnemuende Institute for Baltic Sea Studies said that if too many foundations for wind turbines were built on the seabed, organisms that eat up sunken organic material in the sea could be affected. The latest studies had discovered an important salty current in an area known as the Arcona Basin, between the German island of Ruegen and the Danish island of Bornholm, the scientists said in the German city of Rostock. The deep current was important in the supply of both salt and oxygen to organisms. The scientists say they will not be able to provide a detailed recommendation about what can be safely built until summer 2007. The institute said the approaching experiments will be done in cooperation with Danish and Swedish scientists while a research trip with Polish scientific involvement is planned for this month. Internet: www.io-warnemuende.de © dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur