June 2025 | Oceanography
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Subsequent to the Consensus Study Report, a workshop was
convened in July 2024 to design a field monitoring program
that would respond to the Consensus Study Report recom
mendations. The diverse expertise of the workshop participants
facilitated discussions of observational needs and approaches
for a field monitoring program to advance models developed
to assess potential effects of offshore wind energy development
on Nantucket Shoals hydrodynamics and ecology (NASEM,
2024b). The workshop proceedings identified for the turbine
and wind farm scales (1) parameters that should be measured
with a focus on the oceanographic and atmospheric parame
ters necessary to drive models, and (2) specific components for
implementing a field monitoring program to resolve key phys
ical and ecological features and processes to improve under
standing of potential effects of offshore wind energy develop
ment on Nantucket Shoals ecology, including the right whale.
There was agreement that existing monitoring programs pro
vide important information but that coordination within and
across these efforts is needed and that models and syntheses
of existing data should be used to guide the design of obser
vations and field programs. The workshop discussions pointed
to a set of science priorities that respond to the recommenda
tions from the Consensus Study, such as monitoring designed
to isolate wind farm impacts from natural and anthropo
genic variability and studies to advance understanding of prey
aggregation processes. The convening of the workshop was an
important step toward identifying resources and a timeline for
implementing field and modeling studies that address concerns
about the effects of offshore wind energy development in the
Nantucket Shoals region.
Although the hydrodynamic effects of offshore wind devel
opment on the Nantucket Shoals region ecology are not yet well
understood, the current state of knowledge and key directions
for advancing this understanding are reflected in the Consensus
Study Report (NASEM, 2024a). The Workshop Proceedings
(NASEM, 2024b) points to specific observational and model
ing activities that could be implemented to begin to address
the Consensus Study recommendations. The Perspectives pro
vided by Gawarkiewicz (2025) and Saba (2025) in this issue
reinforce the need to advance understanding of the hydro
dynamics and ecology of the important Nantucket Shoals
region. Observational and modeling approaches developed for
Nantucket Shoals will provide a framework for areas along the
US East Coast continental shelf that are slated for offshore wind
energy development over the next decade. It remains for the
oceanographic community to undertake the observational and
modeling programs necessary to assess the effects of offshore
wind energy development on hydrodynamics and the corre
sponding impact on ecosystems, and for government agencies
and the wind energy industry to provide resources for imple
mentation of these programs.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The committee thanks the study sponsor, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Manage
ment (BOEM), and BOEM staff who helped with the study, especially Mary
Boatman, Desray Reeb, and Thomas J. Kilpatrick. Thanks also go to the speakers
who joined the committee meetings and information gathering workshop to inform
and enrich discussions that led to the Consensus Study Report. The efforts of the
individuals who provided their diverse perspectives and technical expertise to the
review of the Consensus Study Report are gratefully acknowledged. Lastly, thanks
are extended those who participated in the follow-on workshop (July 9–10, 2024)
and generously provided their ideas for observations and field monitoring studies
that support the recommendations from the Consensus Study Report.
AUTHORS
Eileen E. Hofmann (hofmann@ccpo.odu.edu), Old Dominion University, Norfolk,
VA, USA. Jeffrey R. Carpenter, Institute for Coastal Ocean Dynamics, Helmholtz-
Zentrum Hereon, Geesthacht, Germany. Qin J. Chen, Northeastern University,
Boston, MA, USA. Josh T. Kohut, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Richard L. Merrick, retired, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Silver Spring, MD, USA. Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod, University of South Carolina,
Columbia, SC, USA. Douglas P. Nowacek, Duke University, Durham, NC,
USA. Kaustubha Raghukumar, Integral Consulting Inc., Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
Nicholas R. Record, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME,
USA. Kelly Oskvig, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,
Washington, DC, USA.
ARTICLE CITATION
Hofmann, E.E., J.R. Carpenter, Q.J. Chen, J.T. Kohut, R.L. Merrick, E.L. Meyer-
Gutbrod, D.P. Nowacek, K. Raghukumar, N.R. Record, and K. Oskvig. 2025. From
wind to whales: Potential hydrodynamic impacts of offshore wind energy on
Nantucket Shoals regional ecology. Oceanography 38(2):36–39, https://doi.org/
10.5670/oceanog.2025.304.
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