Introduction

The state of New Jersey with an ambitious goal of 7,500 MW of offshore wind energy by 2035 is becoming one of the leaders in offshore wind energy in the country. However, wind farm construction can potentially change the physical oceanography in and near the planned offshore wind area and perhaps affect marine fishery resources and associated commercial or recreational fisheries. Recent advances in numerical modeling in simulating the NJ offshore wind area and new turbine models provide an opportunity to develop the next-generation numerical model to assess the impact. This proposed study brings an interdisciplinary team to develop a nested local hydrodynamics model with the objective of estimating the local impact of offshore wind farms on physical oceanography and the distribution of summer flounder. We will develop a nested hydrodynamics model in the atmospheric and oceanographic Mid-Atlantic regional models. The pattern change to the currents, waves, and temperature/salinity profiles introduced by the drag force of the turbine foundations and the wave-induced turbulent mixing will be evaluated. Potential impacts on summer flounder will be assessed by developing a habitat suitability index from available trawl data and exploring how projected changes in the physical environment may impact juvenile and adult summer flounder distribution at the wind farms.