Offshore Wind Impact on Oceanographic Processes: North Carolina to New York, Volume 1 - Rps - GOVPUB-I-e578ba2c13521efd8436e4a3f32d33cd | Content Details

Offshore Wind Impact on Oceanographic Processes: North Carolina to New York, Volume 1 - Rps

Summary

Branch: Executive

Category: Executive Agency Publications

SuDoc Class Number: I 72.

Government Author: Interior Department, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Personal Author: Georgas N; Garavelli L; Codiga D; Day E; Engel L; Hemery L; Misa W; Monim M; Moghadam H; Morandi A; Ilia A; Speers J; Tajallibakhsh T

Series Title: BOEM Environmental Studies

Publication Title: Offshore Wind Impact on Oceanographic Processes: North Carolina to New York, Volume 1 - Rps

Date Issued: 2025

Subject: Physical Oceanography; Fisheries and Aquaculture; Socio-economic and Infrastructure
Fish & Essential Fish Habitat
offshore wind energy; wind turbines; Mid-Atlantic Bight; scenario modeling; Delft3D-FM; SWAN; hydrodynamics; waves; currents; bed shear stress; sediment mobility; turbulent mixing; stratification; cold pool; habitat; larval transport; Ichthyop; Atlantic sea scallop; Atlantic surf clam; black sea bass

Obligation Number: M0123C0001

Geographic Scope: Atlantic

Report Number: BOEM 2025-016

CSE Reference: Georgas N, Garavelli L, Codiga D, Day E, Engel L, Hemery L, Misa W, Monim M, Moghadam H, Morandi A, Ilia A, Speers J, Tajallibakhsh T (RPS Ocean Science, South Kingston, RI, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Seattle, WA). 2025. Offshore wind impact on oceanographic processes: North Carolina to New York, Volume 1 - RPS. Sterling (VA): U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. 360 p. Obligation No.: 140M0123C0001. Report No.: BOEM 2025-016. URL: https://espis.boem.gov/final%20reports/BOEM_2025-016.pdf

Abstract: Proposed offshore wind development on the U.S. North Atlantic Ocean shelf from North Carolina to New York has raised concerns about changes to environmental conditions. The study sought to determine effects of offshore wind energy facilities on coastal and oceanic environmental conditions and habitats by examining how oceanic characteristics change after turbine installation, particularly for bottom stress, turbulent mixing, along and cross-shelf transport, wind-wave interactions, and larval transport. Also included was ascertaining how such changes may affect Atlantic sea scallop, Atlantic surf clam, and black sea bass. We treated three scenarios, for the two-year period from February 2018 through January 2020, inclusive: baseline conditions without wind energy areas, partial buildout (five clusters, some partially occupied) of proposed wind energy areas, and complete buildout (eight clusters, fully occupied) of BOEM-specified wind energy lease blocks. We assessed larval connectivity of Atlantic sea scallop, Atlantic surf clam, and black sea bass using a biophysical larval dispersal model with literature-based species-specific inputs. Overall, the main effects of wind energy areas that have sufficient magnitude to potentially alter the population dynamics of Atlantic sea scallop, Atlantic surf clam, and black sea bass are changes to the hydrodynamics. This includes warming temperatures, which may accelerate the ongoing northward migration of species driven by climate warming.