OCN 780 Seminar | Ocean Response to Offshore Wind Farms off the Coast of New England | Sauvage

Presenter: Dr. César Sauvage

Title: Ocean response to offshore wind farms off the Coast of New England

Abstract: Offshore wind turbines extract kinetic energy from the atmosphere at wind plant scales, reducing wind speeds and producing downstream wind wakes of enhanced turbulence that can extend downstream and alter regional wind and wave climates. Using high-resolution coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave simulations for the northeastern U.S. coast, we investigate how large-scale wind farm clusters influence surface waves, upper-ocean structure, and air–sea interactions. Results show consistent reductions of 10–30% in significant wave height, wave-supported wind stress, wave-to-ocean stress, and wave-to-ocean energy flux in and downwind of wind farms, with the magnitude and spatial extent of these changes strongly dependent on background wind direction. Reduced wind stress also leads to sea surface warming (≈0.3–0.4 °C) and a shallower mixed layer under stratified conditions. This warming drives upward heat fluxes, destabilizing the atmospheric boundary layer and enhancing wind stress, which partially offsets wake-induced wind deficits. Overall, the results highlight the importance of accurately representing wave–ocean–atmosphere coupling to assess upper-ocean mixing and regional environmental impacts, while suggesting that uncoupled models may remain sufficient for wind energy resource assessments.

Location: (Hybrid) MSB 100 & Zoom (No password needed)

Time: 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm