June 2025 | Oceanography
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FIGURE 1. (a) Nantucket Shoals region with proposed wind lease areas indicated (gray shading). (b) Offshore wind farm showing poten
tial wind reduction and ocean turbulence effects (swirls) from wind turbine structures. (c) Schematic of oceanographic processes that
influence the hydrodynamics of the Nantucket Shoals region (adapted from Gawarkiewicz and Plueddemann, 2020). (d) Schematic
of potential wind turbine effects. The wind, blowing from left to right, decreases in energy as it passes the turbine. Ocean circulation,
flowing from left to right, becomes more turbulent downstream of the turbine (indicated by swirls) with potential effects on water col
umn stratification (gradient shading with red to blue indicating transition from low-density surface water to more dense water at depth).
Ecological effects of a turbine extend from phytoplankton to whales. The turbine, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and higher trophic level
organisms are not shown to scale.