Wind turbines may be killing bats without touching them: A new study suggests that the localized drop in air pressure caused by the whirling blades is causing the delicate lungs of bats to burst. While environmentalists previously worried about birds getting slashed by the turbines' blades, researchers realized a year ago that bats are more at risk from the the turbines.
In May 2007, the US National Research Council published the results of a survey of US wind farms showing that two bat species accounted for 60% of winged animals killed [New Scientist].
But until now, the bats' mode of death was unknown. Because bats navigate using a sophisticated echolocation system, researchers thought it was unlikely that the bats were getting caught in the turbines. Says lead researcher Erin Baerwald:
"When people were first starting to talk about the issue, it was 'bats running into the turbine blades.' We always ...
