Ongoing Environmental Research

NYSERDA’s Offshore Wind program works collaboratively with stakeholders, including members of the Environmental and Fisheries Technical Working Groups (TWGs), to assess the applicability of existing research and identify knowledge gaps. Through competitive funding opportunities, NYSERDA partners with experts in the field to conduct critical research related to the marine environment and fisheries to inform the responsible and cost-effective development of offshore wind energy.

Research Focus

Title

Contractor

Description

Environment

Multi-scale Relationships Between Marine Predators and Forage Fish

Biodiversity Research Institute Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page.

This project is designed to better understand the linkages between forage fish and marine predators and to demonstrate implications for offshore wind development, including how seabird abundance and movement behavior may influence interactions with turbines.

Environment

Ecosystem Dynamics: An Examination of the Relationships between Environmental Processes, Primary Productivity, and Distribution of Species at Higher Trophic Levels

Ecology and Environment, Inc. Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page.

This project will integrate available ecosystem and observational data for key oceanographic features and ecological processes and pave the way for comparative assessments of the power of available ecosystem data to predict wildlife distribution and movement.

Fishing

Collaborative Development of Strategies and Tools to Address Commercial Fishing

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page.

This project brings together a multi-disciplinary team of offshore wind researchers, fisheries experts, developers, and regulators to address the need to understand and develop solutions for safe and efficient fishing access to offshore wind farms and develop technical strategies and tools to minimize the disruption of commercial fishing, while also ensuring economical energy generation and safe operation.

Fishing

Creation of a “Data Trust” for Effective Inclusion of Fishermen’s Knowledge in Offshore Wind Energy Decision Making

Responsible Offshore Development Alliance Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page.

This project will develop a standardized and industry-owned data platform that allows fishermen to own, use, and market their data while retaining control over who has access to it, and allow crowdsourcing of data as evidence to support consensus and inform offshore wind energy development.

Environment

Development of Monitoring Protocols for Nanotag Studies at Offshore Wind Farms

US Fish and Wildlife Service Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page.

This project will develop standardized guidelines to inform the use of miniature digitally-coded VHF transmitters (‘nanotags’) to monitor birds and bats in relation to offshore wind energy development.

Environment

Geophysical and Geotechnical Studies to Support Offshore Wind Development

TBD

This project will consist of geophysical and geotechnical surveys of the seafloor in the New York Bight, complementing a Desktop Study [PDF] of the same area, conducted by Fugro.