The themed set - ‘Decommissioned offshore man-made installations’ - includes 14 peer-reviewed papers assessing impacts on ecosystem functioning at offshore sites. Many of these papers are the result of research projects undertaken by INSITE foundation phase funded initiatives.
There are many thousands of man-made structures (MMS) built into our coastal and marine environments. Installed across several soft sediment settings, these structures range from oil and gas installations to harbour walls, wrecks, pipelines, and offshore wind farms.
The compiled research suggests that these structures are serving as stepping-stones for non-indigenous species as well as providing habitat and shelter for a variety of marine species.