Alice Kojima, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Thomas Kilpatrick, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; Michael Jacox, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Towards a Future of Environmental Monitoring for Offshore Wind

Abstract

Recent modeling studies have simulated how offshore wind farms off the coast of California would impact local oceanographic processes such as upwelling, and the related biogeochemical changes. The nutrients that upwelling transports to the surface form the foundation of the vibrant California Current Ecosystem (CCE) and thus supports primary productivity, fisheries, marine mammals, and avian species. As such, any future changes in the strength and behavior of upwelling are of concern for many stakeholders of the Pacific coast. Despite the recent modeling studies showing minor impacts to upwelling near the Morro Bay lease area, relevant observations that can validate these simulations are lacking. Further, consistent observational data that can characterize the pre-construction (baseline) state of the lease areas and serve as a comparison to future observations are also lacking.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Pacific region and NOAA recently hosted a workshop that brought together people with expertise in wind turbine wake modeling and the observational monitoring and modeling of physical oceanographic and biogeochemical
properties of the CCE. Objectives of this workshop included discussing the capabilities of existing observational monitoring infrastructure, best practices for monitoring offshore wind farm impacts at different stages of development, as well as the challenges and knowledge gaps that exist in the approaches to observing and modeling these impacts.

This workshop constituted an important first step towards transparent conversations between researchers, State/Federal regulators, and developers, which we hope will create opportunities for these different groups’ overlapping needs to be addressed in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. Looking forward, comprehensive observational monitoring programs that span the periods before, during, and after the construction and operations of offshore wind farms will be crucial for characterizing their impact on the CCE, and properly validated model simulations will be key for anticipating future impacts of offshore wind development.

A Data Compilation of Ocean Dissolved Iron and Organic Ligands Measurements in the California Current