I have no experience with data centers, but a little bit of experience with ecological impacts of pass-through nuclear cooling, i.e., water is pumped in from a body of water as cooling for a nuclear power plant, then pumped back to the body of water.
My guess would be that the heat diffusion system for the data center could be designed in such a way that you could have a very large installation without a large ecological impact, as long as a modular footprint like the one pictured is used (think of reef systems that spring up around shipwrecks). However, this will very much depend on the ocean currents at installation to quickly transport heat out of the area.
Most species can handle a couple degrees (Celsius) variation in water temperature, and given the pure huge heat sink that is available by being completely surrounded in water. Species that prefer slightly warmer temperatures would probably establish a new foothold in the areas around the datacenters.
As for the "why it is important" bit. My conservation stance comes down to the precautionary principle. We still know so little about the ecosystem of the ocean that has been working pretty well for millions of years. We should endeavor to change as little as possible because we don't want to disrupt the complex feedback system that exists. Despite all the environmental impact studies that would be performed, we don't know what the possible cascading effects could be, if any.
My guess would be that the heat diffusion system for the data center could be designed in such a way that you could have a very large installation without a large ecological impact, as long as a modular footprint like the one pictured is used (think of reef systems that spring up around shipwrecks). However, this will very much depend on the ocean currents at installation to quickly transport heat out of the area. Most species can handle a couple degrees (Celsius) variation in water temperature, and given the pure huge heat sink that is available by being completely surrounded in water. Species that prefer slightly warmer temperatures would probably establish a new foothold in the areas around the datacenters.
As for the "why it is important" bit. My conservation stance comes down to the precautionary principle. We still know so little about the ecosystem of the ocean that has been working pretty well for millions of years. We should endeavor to change as little as possible because we don't want to disrupt the complex feedback system that exists. Despite all the environmental impact studies that would be performed, we don't know what the possible cascading effects could be, if any.