FROM WIND TO WHALES POTENTIAL HYDRODYNAMIC IMPACTS OF OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY ON NANTUCKET SHOALS REGIONAL ECOLOGY

The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a committee in June 2023 to assess the potential hydrodynamic and ecological impacts from offshore wind energy development in the Nantucket Shoals region, with particular attention to impacts on the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) that forages on zooplankton aggregations in the region. The assessment suggested that the effects of offshore wind energy development will be difficult to distinguish from the effects of natural variability and climate change in this region. The Consensus Study Report recommendations highlight observational and modeling studies that will advance understanding of potential hydrodynamic effects and impacts on the ecology of the region. A subsequent workshop provided guidance on observational needs and approaches for a field monitoring program to advance model capability to simulate effects of offshore wind energy development on Nantucket Shoals hydrodynamics and ecology. Observational and modeling programs implemented for the Nantucket Shoals region will inform other regions of the US East Coast continental shelf that have been designated for offshore wind energy development.

Duke Scholars

Author Douglas Nowacek Marine Science and Conservation