Weather Data Gathering Project Underway for US Offshore Wind
by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, with over 15 partners including national laboratories, universities, industry, and cooperation from local governments. The wildlife monitoring is a project of Duke University with funding from DOE and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.Upon completion of the data collection campaign, the monitoring platforms and instruments will be removed from the ocean, and the study's data and results will be published and used to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts for the region
World's Largest Known Deep-sea Coral Reef Habitat Found
submersible dives in addition to mapping data, were collected as part of a coordinated, multi-year ocean exploration campaign involving NOAA Ocean Exploration, NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute partners Ocean Exploration Trust and the University of New Hampshire , the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Temple University , and the U.S. Geological Survey, with contributions from Fugro , the NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council .The largest area, nicknamed "Million Mounds" by scientists, is primarily made up
Equinor Taps Ocean Infinity for Floating Wind Farm Site Survey off California
area. Ocean Infinity's high quality data sets will facilitate informed decision-making and meticulous planning for the construction and operational phases," Ocean Infinity said.Image Credit: Equinor (cropped) - File imageBack in December 2022, five leases were offered by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the first-ever offshore wind lease sale on the US west coast and the first-ever US sale to support commercial-scale floating offshore wind energy development opportunities. With a bid of USD 130 million for 80.062 acres in the Pacific Ocean, Equinor secured a ~2-gigawatt
UH Aims to Develop Subsea Pipeline Inspection Autonomous Robot
subsea inspections. The technology will aim to make the inspection process safer and more cost effective.From 1964 through 2015, a total of 514 offshore pipeline–related oil spills were recorded, 20 of which incurred spill volumes of more than 1,000 barrels, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.The SmartTouch technology now in development at UH consists of ROVs equipped with multiple stress wave-based smart touch sensors, video cameras and scanning sonars that can swim along a subsea pipeline to inspect flange bolts – bolted connections have accelerated the rate
TDI-Brooks Finalizes Report for Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II
TDI-Brooks International completed the final report for Contract M17PC00009, issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [BOEM]), titled “Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II: Continued Atlantic Research and Exploration in Deepwater Ecosystems with Focus on Coral, Canyon and Seep Communities.” This report is the final deliverable of the BOEM contract called Deep SEARCH, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey. Initially, the study was a five-year, collaborative scientific research program focused on the outer continental shelf between Virginia
How Do Floating Wind Turbines Work?
time. The winners of the lease auction will undergo a Justice Department anti-trust review and then a long planning, permitting and environmental review process that typically takes several years.The first five federal lease areas for Pacific coast offshore wind energy development. (Image: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)Globally, several full-scale demonstration projects with floating wind turbines are already operating in Europe and Asia. The Hywind Scotland project became the first commercial-scale offshore floating wind farm in 2017, with five 6-megawatt turbines supported by spar buoys designed
BOEM and NOAA Announce Joint Strategy for Fisheries Surveys
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries will work together to address potential impacts of offshore wind energy development on NOAA Fisheries’ scientific surveys, which help to manage the United States’s fisheries.For 150 years, the NOAA’s scientists have collected survey data that form the basis of the science-based management of America’s federal fisheries, support the protection and recovery of marine mammals and endangered and threatened species, and increase understanding and conservation of
Uncrewed Saildrone to Explore Remote Alaskan Waters
On August 11, 2022, the Saildrone Surveyor departed Dutch Harbor in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, embarking on a multipartner project to better understand the ocean and seafloor in one of the most remote and understudied parts of the United States. NOAA Ocean Exploration and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) are the primary sponsors of this work.The Aleutians Uncrewed Ocean Exploration expedition is a public-private partnership facilitated and led by the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute. The goal of the expedition is to collect ocean mapping and environmental data in
NOAA Taps Planet to Track Oil Spills, Marine Debris, And Marine Life
this frequent perspective, NOAA monitors a number of platforms, looking to identify oil spills early on. This near-daily data helps NOAA’s audiences stay informed on oil spills in the region. Their regular reports on the oil platforms are distributed to a community including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), which are integral government departments that support regulations and enforcement for environmental protection and oceanic activities.“Working with Planet, NOAA gets a more complete and frequent stream of informatio
February 2024
