Chemical Fingerprints in Offshore Wind Farm Sediments from the North Sea

Sediment samples from offshore wind farms in the Belgian and German North Sea were analyzed using non-target screening. Over 8,000 compounds were detected, with more than 1,000 showing higher abundance inside the wind farms. The dataset, created by David Vanavermaete and last updated in May 2026, suggests epoxy and polyurethane coatings may be a source.

Use Cases

• Identify chemical compounds associated with offshore infrastructure based on non-target screening results
• Compare chemical abundance profiles between wind farm sites and reference locations
• Investigate potential sources of marine pollutants based on tentative compound identification

Strengths

• Analyzes over 8,000 compounds detected via GC-MS-EI and LC-HRMS-ESI±
• Includes samples from three types of reference sites for comparison
• Focuses on a specific and under-monitored environmental impact: chemical emissions from offshore wind farms

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• The impact and effects of the identified chemicals are still unknown, as stated in the description

Provenance

Source

David Vanavermaete via figshare

Collection Method

Non-target screening (GC-MS-EI and LC-HRMS-ESI±) of collected sediment samples

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 07:34:01

Geography

Belgian and German parts of the North Sea