Climate change impacts on the accessibility of offshore structures

Climate change impacts on the accessibility of offshore structures | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Climate change impacts on the accessibility of offshore structures Victoria Bessonova, Merce Casas-Prat, Evdokia Tapoglou, Katharine York, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5805411/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In the next 25 years an unprecedented number of new marine artificial structures, over 75,000 offshore wind turbines alone, are planned to meet global net zero targets. Structures are required to last for multiple decades in the hostile marine environment; where the largest cost across their whole lifecycle is on operations and maintenance dependent on accessibility in calm seas. However, the role of climate change on accessibility, and thus operational cost, has not been resolved. Here we provide the first study of future accessibility; evaluated from global climate model driven wave modelling, using the high emission scenario (RCP8.5). We found that climate change drives significant regional variation in accessibility, with the northern hemisphere benefiting from a 6% increase in operating windows whilst accessibility in parts of the southern hemisphere is reduced by 6-9%. These findings will help offshore developers and stakeholders incorporate adaptions to climate change as part of strategic planning practices. Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change/Climate-change impacts Scientific community and society/Energy and society/Energy management Scientific community and society/Energy and society/Energy security Scientific community and society/Scientific community/Research data/Databases Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files 20250110SuppInfoNatureComms.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5805411","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":407901136,"identity":"a87758e2-37b5-411a-8454-5f53bf622af7","order_by":0,"name":"Victoria 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