Standard Presentation (12 minutes) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2025 Conference

SAFE and FAIR data solutions: A demonstration of the SAFE to inform marine habitat benchmarks to study the cumulative impacts of offshore wind farms (119227)

Harrison A Carmody 1 2 3 4 , Tim Langlois 1 4 , Matthew Navarro 1 4 , Claude Spencer 1 4 , Rob de Roach 2 3 , Brendan Busch 1 5 6
  1. University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
  2. BMT Commercial Australia, Osborne Park, WA, Australia
  3. Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre, Newnham, Tasmania, Australia
  4. The Oceans Institute, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  5. Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
  6. Western Australian Marine Science Institute, Crawley, WA, Australia

Producing robust habitat maps required for site selection of offshore wind farm (OWF) infrastructure can be expensive. Shared data frameworks which enable sharing of restricted data expands data availability at low cost. The Shared Analytic Framework for the Environment (SAFE) enables the derivation of outputs from open and restricted datasets. We demonstrate the Framework's capacity to conduct predictive habitat mapping with open and restricted data collected following the findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) data principles. The demonstration focuses on the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (OEI) zone near Bunbury, Western Australia. Restricted and open access habitat composition data was collected in the region using remote wide-field drop camera systems. Using generalised additive mixed modelling approaches, we predicted the composition of benthic habitats across the OEI zone using both datasets. The inclusion of restricted datasets significantly increases the accuracy of habitat predictions within the OEI zone, enabling better decision-making regarding site selection of OWF infrastructure. Produced outputs can set environmental benchmarks, providing the basis for future cumulative assessments. The study is the first to evaluate how OWF infrastructure may impact benthic habitats in Western Australia, while showcasing the capability of shared data frameworks to enable cumulative assessments.