Abstract
The responsible development of offshore wind energy in the New Jersey/New York Bight and the broader mid-Atlantic region depends on a robust, long-term environmental and ecological monitoring system. Implemented through two coordinated tasks, this project supports New Jersey’s Research and Monitoring Initiative (RMI) by advancing offshore wind farm contributions to a regional environmental and ecological monitoring system designed to address multi-user needs. The conceptual framework developed through this project provides guidance for such a system, leveraging offshore wind energy infrastructure, fixed and mobile platforms, and shore connectivity to generate and transmit valuable data.
Task 1: Language for New Jersey’s Third Offshore Wind Solicitation
Task 1 provided recommended language for inclusion in New Jersey’s third Offshore Wind Solicitation, ahead of the final decision issued by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on January 24, 2024. The language was intended to guide applicants seeking Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates (ORECs) in preparing Offshore Wind Infrastructure Monitoring Plans that leverage infrastructure in and around wind energy areas (e.g., wind turbines, foundations, substations, and associated non-mobile and mobile platforms) and contribute to regional environmental and ecological observing efforts.
The recommended language directs applicants to:
- Identify an incremental investment and implementation plan for incorporating multiple sensors, platforms, and data systems into offshore wind energy infrastructure.
- Demonstrate how proposed monitoring will address RMI and regional research priorities, including baseline development, detection of changes in marine resources, and application of existing and novel technologies.
- Address the full project footprint, including lease areas, cable routes, and landfall locations, and describe how implementation will inform outstanding questions and reduce potential impacts from offshore wind development.
- Include a data management section describing data standardization, transparency, sharing, and accessibility consistent with community best practices and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) requirements.
- Collaborate with federal, state, academic, and regional partners such as the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative (RWSC), the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA), and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS), among others.
To support applicant planning, the Task 1 deliverable also provided cost estimates for two monitoring approaches: a network of fixed offshore stations and seasonal autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) deployments. These estimates, provided for guidance only, indicated the order of magnitude of costs associated with acquisition, installation, and operations.
Task 2: Conceptual Framework for an Environmental and Ecological Regional Monitoring System in Offshore Wind Energy Areas (WEAs).
Motivation
The marine user community relies on oceanographic, meteorological, and ecological data for multiuse decision-making. While surface ocean conditions are routinely observed via satellites and shore-based systems, data on marine life and subsurface conditions remain scarce. Challenges such as limited power for instruments, communication constraints, and lack of monitoring platforms hinder data collection in the offshore environment. Offshore wind energy infrastructure, with its connectivity to shore, presents a unique opportunity to host long-term, in situ environmental and ecological monitoring systems that provide real-time and recovered data.
Overview
Funded by New Jersey’s Research and Monitoring Initiative (RMI), this is a guidance document intended for use by state and federal regulators and policymakers, wind energy developers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and data managers. This framework focuses on monitoring metocean and ecological data, with an emphasis on the subsurface and near-surface (just above the water) ocean environment. It also prioritizes subsurface monitoring of oceanographic conditions, fisheries, and, where complementary, marine mammals.
Organized into five chapters, the framework outlines identification of monitoring objectives, sensors and data variables, deployment strategies, data quality and management standards, and final recommendations. Its development was guided by extensive stakeholder engagement, including surveys, webinars, and expert discussions held throughout 2024–2025.
Key Monitoring Objectives
Targeted stakeholdering identified three primary objectives for coordinated monitoring:
- Contribute local atmospheric, oceanographic, and biological data to coordinated regional monitoring efforts, helping to differentiate short-term variability and/or long-term changes in environmental conditions from potential impacts of offshore wind energy development.
- Provide the necessary data to address regulatory compliance, mitigation needs, and inform the management of living marine resources.
- Contribute monitoring data to regional ocean planning and management initiatives.
Sensors, Data Variables, and Research Platforms
Commercially available sensors capable of measuring key atmospheric, oceanographic, and biological variables were identified, including physical, biological/optical, and chemical parameters. Sensors were assessed for size, power needs, maintenance requirements, and temporal/spatial/vertical resolution of data. The highlighted deployment platforms include fixed offshore wind energy infrastructure, buoys, moorings, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), ships of opportunity, and bottom mounts.
Deployment Strategies and Cost Estimates
Monitoring of offshore wind energy projects falls under the regulatory authority of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and, in some states such as New Jersey, is also shaped by requirements in power purchase agreements and state permitting processes. A key objective is to generate data that help distinguish short-term variability and/or long-term changes in environmental conditions from potential project-induced impacts, which must be tailored to site-specific conditions. Effective monitoring further depends on capturing regional variability at appropriate spatial and temporal scales. This document is therefore intended to guide the development of a monitoring system for a generic offshore wind energy area with four lease areas, illustrating the target spatial scale for fixed monitoring stations in the Mid-Atlantic Bight and demonstrating how coordination among adjacent leaseholders can reduce costs and maintenance.
Uncertainty in offshore wind energy planning and the complexities of permitting remain significant hurdles for standardizing wind turbine-based monitoring, highlighting the need for complementary, scalable, and flexible approaches. This framework considers both fixed stations and AUVs, specifically ocean gliders. Both platforms are vital tools for oceanographic research, but they answer different scientific questions based on their strengths.
Fixed stations, such as moored buoys, are anchored in one location and are designed for continuous, long-term monitoring. They are uniquely suited for studying temporal changes and events at a specific site. Fixed stations track variability and/or long-term changes in environmental conditions, including ocean acidification, ocean warming, and circulation. Additionally, continuous fixed station time series capture episodic events like coastal storms and phytoplankton blooms.
Mobile and autonomous platforms, such as buoyancy-driven gliders, enhance fixed-station monitoring by providing high-resolution spatial coverage, targeted sampling of biological hotspots, and improved marine mammal detection through low-noise passive acoustics. Coordinated seasonal deployments of two gliders can effectively survey up to four adjacent wind energy areas, delivering comprehensive coverage at significantly reduced cost compared to independent, uncoordinated operations.
Estimated costs:
- Single fixed station: $660,000–$860,000 purchase and installation; $165,000–$215,000 annual maintenance.
- Single glider: $250,000–$350,000 purchase; $75,000 per 30-day deployment
These figures provide planning guidance but exclude project-specific costs like safety compliance or data processing.
Data Quality and Management Standards
As offshore wind energy development expands, so will the volume of environmental and ecological data collected. A strong data governance framework, built on the principles of quality, security, transparency, and stewardship, is essential to ensure these data remain accurate, accessible, and useful over the long term.
Key stakeholder recommendations include:
- Leveraging existing infrastructure and repositories such as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS), National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), and the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).
- Standardizing data formats, metadata, quality assurance, and quality control procedures to ensure interoperability.
- Establishing clear data ownership, licensing, and sharing agreements.
- Integrating data systems and transfer pathways early in project planning.
- Designating funded data stewards within lease-holding entities.
- Supporting a jointly funded third-party regional data manager to oversee acquisition, security, and management work across multiple lease areas.
Conclusions and Next Steps
This document represents a critical step toward building a science-driven, standardized, and regionally consistent monitoring system capable of supporting both offshore wind energy development and broader marine users in the mid-Atlantic.
Developing an implementable monitoring plan at both the individual lease and regional scales will require a strategic approach. A phased implementation process will be needed to establish clear timelines, further define roles, and outline funding strategies, with these elements integrated early in the planning stage. Pilot deployments in priority areas can be used to test combinations of sensors, platforms, and retrofits to existing wind energy infrastructure, with results informing feasibility, data quality, and operational workflows. Active participation from industry, including wind energy developers, OEMs, sensor and technology providers, and other maritime sectors, will be essential for advancing standardization efforts, while regional coordination will help expand coverage and minimize redundancy.
Data management and governance should be strengthened by investing in scalable, secure data infrastructure and by establishing governance structures that align monitoring activities across wind energy developers and jurisdictions. Implementation should align with regulatory and scientific priorities by defining actionable indicators and thresholds and integrating with existing ocean observing systems.
Emerging technologies in sensors, power systems, and artificial intelligence should be tracked and incorporated to ensure long-term adaptability. Health, safety, and environmental (HSE) planning protocols should be embedded into every phase of deployment and maintenance to protect both personnel and ecosystems. A centralized cost database should be maintained, and pilot deployment results should be used to inform cost-benefit analyses and strategic planning. Throughout implementation, stakeholders should be engaged continuously to refine system design, improve deployment practices, and establish feedback loops that support ongoing improvement.