Magnetic fields generated by submarine power cables have a negligible effect on the swimming behavior of Atlantic lumpfish

2023 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 609

In laboratory experiments using an artificial magnetic field gradient (230 µT; corresponding to ~1 m from a high-power HVDC submarine cable), juvenile lumpfish activity and distance travelled were unaffected when the coil was on versus off. Swimming speed was…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Magnetic fields generated by submarine power cables have a negligible effect on the swimming behavior of Atlantic lumpfish Durif CMF, Nyqvist D, Taormina B, Shema SD, Skiftesvik AB, Freytet F, Browman HI. Magnetic fields generated by submarine power cables have a negligible effect on the swimming behavior of Atlantic lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) juveniles. PeerJ. 2023 Jan 23;11:e14745. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14745. Abstract Submarine power cables carry electricity over long distances. Their geographic distribution, number, and areal coverage are increasing rapidly with the development of, for example, offshore wind facilities. The flow of current passing through these cables creates a magnetic field (MF) that can potentially affect marine organisms, particularly those that are magnetosensitive. The lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) is a migratory species that is widely distributed in the North Atlantic Ocean and Barents Sea. It migrates between coastal spawning grounds and pelagic offshore feeding areas. We tested whether lumpfish respond to MFs of the same intensity as those emitted by high voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power cables. Laboratory experiments were conducted by placing juvenile lumpfish in an artificial MF gradient generated by a Helmholtz coil system. The intensity of the artificial MF used (230 µT) corresponded to the field at 1 m from a high-power submarine cable. The fish were filmed for 30 min with the coil either on or off. Swimming speeds, and presence in the different parts of a raceway, were extracted from the videos and analyzed. Juvenile lumpfish activity, defined as the time that the fish spent swimming relative to stationary pauses (attached to the substrate), and the distance travelled, were unaffected by exposure to the artificial MF. The swimming speed of juvenile lumpfish was reduced (by 16%) when the coil was on indicating that the fish could either sense the MF or the induced electric field created by the movement of the fish through the magnetic field. However, it seems unlikely that a 16% decrease in swimming speed occurring within 1 m of HVDC cables would significantly affect Atlantic lumpfish migration or homing. Open access paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

PopulationJuvenile Atlantic lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus)

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposure30 min

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Swimming speed
Activity (time spent swimming vs stationary pauses)
Distance travelled
Presence in different parts of a raceway

Limitations

Laboratory experiment using an artificial magnetic field gradient rather than in situ cable exposure
Only juvenile lumpfish were tested
Short exposure/observation period (30 min)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "submarine power cables (HVDC) simulated with Helmholtz coil",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "30 min"
  },
  "population": "Juvenile Atlantic lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Swimming speed",
    "Activity (time spent swimming vs stationary pauses)",
    "Distance travelled",
    "Presence in different parts of a raceway"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In laboratory experiments using an artificial magnetic field gradient (230 µT; corresponding to ~1 m from a high-power HVDC submarine cable), juvenile lumpfish activity and distance travelled were unaffected when the coil was on versus off. Swimming speed was reduced by 16% with the coil on.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Laboratory experiment using an artificial magnetic field gradient rather than in situ cable exposure",
    "Only juvenile lumpfish were tested",
    "Short exposure/observation period (30 min)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "submarine power cables",
    "HVDC",
    "magnetic field",
    "Helmholtz coil",
    "marine organisms",
    "lumpfish",
    "swimming behavior",
    "migration"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.1,
      "reason": "Not occupational; exposure relates to infrastructure-generated magnetic fields in the environment (included only weakly, if at all)."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14745
PubMed: Not supplied

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