2020 State of the Science Workshop

State of the Science Workgroups

State of the Science Workshop on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy 2020: Cumulative Impacts

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To improve our understanding of cumulative biological impacts from offshore wind development, NYSERDA convened seven topical State of the Science workgroups in November 2020. The goal for the workgroups was to identify a list of priority studies that could be implemented in the next five years to position the stakeholder community to better understand cumulative impacts as the offshore wind industry develops in the eastern U.S. Through a combination of virtual meetings, online surveys, and online document collaboration, each group produced a report (below) that highlights recommended research priorities.

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Collectively, these workgroups represent over 200 scientific experts and other stakeholders (workgroup members are listed in an appendix to each report). A big thank you is due to everyone involved, and in particular to the workgroup leads who have put a great deal of time into planning meetings, developing draft reports, and other efforts.

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During the State of the Science culmination webinar on May 21, 2021, workgroup leaders presented a brief summary of group recommendations and discussed common themes among the seven topic areas. See below links to view presentation slides and the webinar recording. 

Workgroup Reports

Final workgroup reports can be downloaded below.

Focus: Ocean Stratification

Photo credits: Loggerhead sea turtle © Kate Sutherland; Benthos © Arhnue Tan; Fish © Lance Anderson; Northern gannet © Birger Strahl; Bats © Clemente Falize; Humpback whale © Sandra Seitamaa;

Green sea turtle © James Thorton; Ocean © Ines Alvarez