Renewable energy production is taking off in the United States, and with it comes an increasing focus on the environmental impacts of these new energy sources. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently conducted a study to examine how offshore wind farms in the Nantucket Shoals region, off the coast of Massachusetts, could potentially affect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. We spoke to marine scientists Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod, Douglas Nowacek, Eileen E. Hofmann, and Josh Kohut, who all served on the study committee, to get a better understanding of the report’s key findings.
The study was initiated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior that regulates offshore energy production. Its goal was to better understand how setting up and operating offshore wind turbine generators may impact physical oceanographic processes and ultimately affect the ecosystem, particularly in the Nantucket Shoals region.
Why the Nantucket Shoals region? It’s the first large-scale offshore wind farm area in the U.S. and has been the subject of several recent hydrodynamic modeling studies.
The study zeroed in on the Nantucket Shoals region because North Atlantic right whales, which are critically endangered, have been spending more time in the area, creating concerns for their safety. Although this species has been protected from whaling for nearly a century, they still face accidental mortalities when they are struck by vessels or become entangled in fishing gear. The changes in water dynamics caused by offshore wind turbines could potentially disrupt the right whales’ ability to find and feed on zooplankton, their main source of food.
The impact of offshore wind farms on the right whales in the study area is still uncertain, as there have been very few studies on the hydrodynamic impact of turbines, particularly in the Nantucket Shoals region. Moreover, the rapidly changing climate conditions pose an additional challenge in understanding the feeding patterns and habitat usage of these whales.
The report also highlights the need for more research to understand the hydrodynamics and ecology of the Nantucket Shoals region before going ahead with offshore wind farm development. It does not recommend slowing down the development of these wind farms but instead advises conducting observational and modeling research to better understand the environmental impacts.
In conclusion, the development of these wind energy farms provides a valuable opportunity to enhance our knowledge about the ecological and hydrodynamic impacts of turbines on marine ecosystems. This will ultimately serve as a guide for the future development of wind farms along the U.S. East Coast, helping to ensure that our renewable energy efforts are as environmentally friendly as possible.
