Few have visited the depths of Horns Rev and witnessed the plant and animal life there firsthand. But Elsam and Eltra have hired divers to inspect the conditions in the depths. As it turns out, the experience was both interesting and rather mundane.

The interesting element was posed by the elements, that is, by the physically violent conditions along the bottom, which resembles a sandy desert swept incessantly by powerful currents. The sand along the bottom is relatively coarse-grained, but it is constantly churned up.

The plant and animal life our divers observed in the depths reflects these extreme conditions. Relatively few species are represented, and those that are there are robust and have adapted to the violent environment they call home. Plants have apparently given up, as there is very little vegetation on the sea floor.

When the turbines with their surrounding gravel mattress are sunk into the seabed, this will create a new environment where marine plants and animals will be able to seek shelter by attaching themselves to the turbine foundation or the stones. This may attract new fauna which in turn will have an influence on other species of animals both in and outside the offshore turbine farm area. This possibility will be studied as a part of the monitoring programme.