An Investigation of Potential Impacts of Wind Turbines and Foundations on the Cold Pool

Abstract

This project investigates how offshore wind farms (OWFs) may alter ocean mixing and stratification in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB), with a specific focus on the Cold Pool—an ecologically critical bottom layer of cold water that forms in spring, persists through summer, and breaks down in fall. As OWF development is carried out along the U.S. East Coast, scientific understanding of how turbine foundations and wind wakes affect coastal oceanography remains limited. This study addresses high-priority questions outlined by the New Jersey Offshore Wind Research and Monitoring Initiative (RMI), particularly the potential impacts of OWFs on ocean stratification and circulation patterns.