Abstract

The year 2021 witnessed the ecological controversy of algal reefs due to the proposed referendum for the removal of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals from algal reefs at Datan (大潭). Even though in the end the referendum failed to win the required voting threshold, the public still fails to comprehend the core issues involved with the referendum. In this review, seven scientific criteria listed by the Global Ocean Initiative (GOBI) were applied to assess whether Datan algal reefs could qualif...

Abstract

This study investigated the macrobenthic fauna in the sandy-bottom sublittoral area off the Changhua coastline, central western Taiwan, before the planned construction of offshore wind turbines. We used a local commercial demersal otter trawling boat to conduct a spring-autumn survey with simultaneous measurement of hydrographic parameters and water sampling for water quality analysis at the tentative wind farm fields at inshore (15–25-m depth) and offshore (40–50-m depth) sites. Three surveys w...

Abstract

In recent years, water recreation activities have flourished, and the government has promoted the policy of paying tribute to the sea, expecting to increase services in the field of water recreation activities, especially in the construction of safety information systems. The safety of water recreation activities is related to many factors, one of the most important being the marine environment. The suitable marine environmental conditions that can endure various kinds of water recreation activi...

Abstract

An oceanic thermal plume, which is often induced by the discharge of heated wastewater, is unavoidable in the coastal area around a power plant. We studied the patterns of thermal plumes from sea surface images of land-based X-band radar images. By averaging the image sequences, we were able to eliminate the patterns of wave crests and detect a band of strong radar echo intensity in front of the drain outlet of a power station. Field temperature records confirm the relationship between this echo...

Abstract

Considering the medium wave resources in Taiwan, the oscillating water column (OWC) shows several advantages upon implementation. The installation and maintenance cost of an OWC is relatively lower, and the concrete structure is more survivable under seawater impact and erosion. Survivability is a primary concern because Taiwan suffers from extreme weather during typhoon season, and the OWC structure can withstand harsh conditions. This paper focuses on the design optimization of the U-OWC by es...