USGS Scientists are Authors on New Framework for Seabirds and Offshore Wind Energy
Scientists from the USGS Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) are authors on a new framework for addressing the impacts of offshore wind farms on marine bird populations.
Offshore wind energy is expanding globally, with the potential to be an important source of renewable energy. Offshore wind infrastructure can pose significant risks to seabirds, already the most highly threatened group of birds. Seabird populations may be affected via displacement and collision with offshore wind infrastructure. USGS scientists study the abundance and distribution of seabirds in offshore areas, critical information for planners looking to mitigate the impacts of wind energy on seabirds. USGS WERC scientists Josh Adams and Emma Kelsey provided their expertise on monitoring of seabird abundance and distribution at-sea and seabird vulnerability to offshore wind energy to the new framework.
The publication presents a broad framework that can be applied globally for assessing and mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development. In the United States, offshore wind energy is growing on the East Coast and is under consideration on the West Coast. The new framework, funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), will inform planning for future offshore wind development.
Read more about this publication in a press release from the University of California, Santa Cruz: https://news.ucsc.edu/2022/11/offshore-wind-energy.html
Croll, D.A., Ellis, A.A., Adams, J., et al. 2022. Framework for Assessing and Mitigating the Impacts of Offshore Wind Energy. Framework for assessing and mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development on marine birds. Biological Conservation, 276, p.109795 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109795
Related Content
Seabird Vulnerability Assessment for Renewable Energy Projects
Seabird Ecology and Marine Planning
Related Content
- Science
Seabird Vulnerability Assessment for Renewable Energy Projects
In 2017, the Western Ecological Research Center's seabird studies team developed a framework for quantifying seabird species vulnerability to offshore wind energy infrastructure in the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf portion of the California Current region. This tool supports marine resource-use planning by identifying sites where seabirds are most vulnerable and predicts how different species...Seabird Ecology and Marine Planning
Seabirds are Department of the Interior (DOI) Trust Species and are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act. To support science-based decision capacity and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) among U.S. Government resource managers, Dr. Josh Adams and the WERC seabird team have partnered with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service... - Publications
Get Our News
These items are in the RSS feed format (Really Simple Syndication) based on categories such as topics, locations, and more. You can install and RSS reader browser extension, software, or use a third-party service to receive immediate news updates depending on the feed that you have added. If you click the feed links below, they may look strange because they are simply XML code. An RSS reader can easily read this code and push out a notification to you when something new is posted to our site.