2024, University of Exeter and SMRU, Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme (OWEC), Similarity assessment of offshore windfarms (PrePARED) series https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=015_93bb9cb2-7ff0-4f19-8031-0e577b99f9cd This report compares the environmental conditions at offshore wind farms being studies in the OWEC funded PrePARED project in the Moray Firth (MF) and the Firth of Forth (FoF), Scotland, to wider UK marine area and other wind farms in the region. The analysis examined environmental variables, such as sea bottom temperature, salinity, water stratification, tidal speed, seabed slope, water depth, distance to shore and seabed substrate across four seasons. PrePARED is a collaborative research project, funded by the Offshore Wind Evidence & Change programme and Crown Estate Scotland. It concurrently studies predator (seabird and marine mammal) and prey (fish) distribution and behaviour in and around offshore wind farms, providing critical insight into cumulative effects from large scale development for key species. Bringing together expertise from government, academia, nature conservation agencies and industry, PrePARED will address critical knowledge gaps that are barriers to sustainable offshore wind development, required to help meet the government’s renewable energy targets and subsequently reach net zero. 20260330T13:36:23