{"id":183944,"date":"2024-04-11T12:49:10","date_gmt":"2024-04-11T16:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/?page_id=183944"},"modified":"2026-04-08T11:39:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:39:16","slug":"research-offshore-wind","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/research-offshore-wind\/","title":{"rendered":"Research: Offshore Wind"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research | Offshore Wind<\/h1><\/div><\/div>
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Apply site-wide<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

How can scientists support the reduction of carbon emissions while ensuring marine life, habitats and livelihoods are protected?<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Offshore wind\u2014a source of clean, renewable energy that can power hundreds of thousands of homes\u2014offers great potential for Rhode Island, and the nation overall, to meet its stated goals for reducing carbon emissions. Meanwhile, as wind farms off the coast of New England move forward, oceanographers and policy-makers work to ensure marine life, habitats and livelihoods are protected. The state is home to the country\u2019s first commercial offshore wind farm, a five-turbine farm off the coast of Block Island, and more are in the works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In The News<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Fisheries management and spatial planning<\/h2>

GSO student Emmanuel Oyewole<\/strong>\u2019s doctoral research asks a key question: Do the artificial reef effects of offshore wind farm infrastructure boost local biological production or concentrate existing marine biomass from surrounding fishing grounds?<\/p><\/div><\/div>

stable isotope geolocation<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Whales and wind farms<\/h2>

Scientists in URI\u2019s ocean engineering program and the Graduate School of Oceanography are monitoring offshore wind developments like the Block Island Wind Farm to determine if they are having any effects on whale and other marine life. They also work to correct misinformation about offshore wind circulating online<\/p><\/div><\/div>

Faculty office hour<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Connections and collaborations<\/h2>

\u201cUnderstanding the impacts of offshore wind on the ocean ecosystem in our coastal communities is an interdisciplinary effort,\u201d Anna Mercer, Ph.D. \u201915 says. \u201cIt requires collaboration between experts from different scientific disciplines as well as between scientists and the fishing community.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>

Aboard GSO<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Science and knowledge for sustainable ocean planning<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Discovery of Sound in the Sea (DOSITS)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Supported by GSO, Inner Space Center, NSF, NOAA and the Office of Naval Research, the DOSITS website provides information for the public on acoustics in the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\nExplore the dosits resources<\/a>\n<\/article><\/div><\/section>\n\n

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Rhode Island Recreational Fishing Tool<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

URI’s Coastal Resources Center & Rhode Island Sea Grant collaborated with state coastal regulators and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association to identify recreational fishing use in RI state waters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the research study was to understand where recreational fishing is taking place within Rhode Island salt waters to ensure this important user community’s needs are represented when evaluating coastal development permits. <\/p>\n\n\nEXPLORE THE TOOL<\/a>\n\n\n

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Offshore wind and fisheries<\/h2>\n\n\n
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From the experts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

GSO Professor Jeremy Collie<\/strong> is researching lobster larvae as part of Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative, which links lobster research with fishing communities that need and can use the results.<\/p>\n\n\nSea Grant’s Larvae and JuveNILES Research<\/a>\n\n\n

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Offshore wind and marine mammals<\/h2>\n\n\n
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From the experts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ocean engineering professor & acoustician James Miller<\/strong> has studied sounds from the construction of every offshore wind farm in the United States, starting with the nation\u2019s first, the Block Island Wind Farm.<\/p>\n\n\nRead the Interview<\/a>\n\n\n

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Researchers | Offshore Wind <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/p>\n
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Jeremy S. Collie<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Professor of Oceanography<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6859<\/span>
jcollie@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Tracey Dalton<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Director, Rhode Island Sea Grant<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Abbey Greene<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Coastal Project Manager<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

abbey_greene@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Stephan T. Grilli, Ph.D.<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Distinguished Professor and Chair, Ocean Engineering<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6636<\/span>
grilli@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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M Reza Hashemi<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Associate Professor of Ocean Engineering<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6217<\/span>
reza_hashemi@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Robert D. Kenney<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Emeritus Marine Research Scientist <\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6664<\/span>
rkenney@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Kris A. Lewis<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Assistant Professor of Oceanography<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

kristy.lewis@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Jennifer McCann<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Senior Coastal Resources Manager<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401-874-6127<\/span>
jmccann@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Susanne Menden-Deuer<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Professor of Oceanography<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6608<\/span>
smenden@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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James Henry Miller<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Professor of Ocean Engineering<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6540<\/span>
miller@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Jaime B. Palter<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Professor of Oceanography<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6490<\/span>
jpalter@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Tatiana Rynearson<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Professor of Oceanography<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6022<\/span>
rynearson@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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Barbara Sullivan-Watts<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Senior Marine Research Scientist, Emerita<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401-787-5469<\/span>
bsullivanwatts@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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J.P. Walsh<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\t
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Professor of Oceanography<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

401.874.6233<\/span>
jpwalsh@uri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t

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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How can scientists support the reduction of carbon emissions while ensuring marine life, habitats and livelihoods are protected? Offshore wind\u2014a source of clean, renewable energy that can power hundreds of thousands of homes\u2014offers great potential for Rhode Island, and the nation overall, to meet its stated goals for reducing carbon emissions. Meanwhile, as wind farms […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4762,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-183944","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/183944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4762"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183944"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/183944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":192423,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/183944\/revisions\/192423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}