Offshore wind development in the Mid-Atlantic has expanded rapidly, with nearly all states making commitments to advance their renewable energy goals. Wind lease areas are located in this region to capitalize on the proximity of densely populated coastal communities and relatively high wind speeds offshore. However, these regions also overlap with significant other uses, including commercial and recreational fishing, navigation, and highly dynamic eco-systems. In this seminar, I will share updates on offshore wind development, ongoing research and ecosystem monitoring efforts, impacts of coastal upwelling on hub-height winds, and new results investigating the potential for turbine foundations to impact the stability of the ecologically critical Mid-Atlantic Bight Cold Pool.

Travis Miles is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where he also received his Doctorate. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and was the recipient of the 2019 Marine Technology Society Young Professional Award. As a core faculty within the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL), he has pioneered the use of autonomous underwater vehicles and ocean observing networks to study the oceans response to and feedback on hurricanes and explore and monitor coastal ecosystems. He additionally carries out process focused, and data informed, ocean and atmospheric modeling to study the air-sea boundary layer with a focus on areas of offshore wind renewable energy development.

CCPO Innovation Research Park Building I 4111 Monarch Way, 3rd Floor Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 23508 757-683-4940