The development of floating offshore wind farms in the Humboldt and Morro Bay federal lease areas presents an opportunity for California to develop new renewable energy sources and contribute to the mitigation of climate change. However, questions remain about what this implies for California’s unique ocean ecosystem.
This is a part of a series of seven fact sheets summarizing existing science on the environmental effects of offshore wind farms to address common concerns raised in California’s communities. This fact sheet underwent a scientific review process by 11 experts from academia, consulting, and government. It is intended as a resource for legislators, agencies, local government, and other policymakers as they field questions from the public.
Fact Sheets in the Overall Series:
- Understanding Potential Environmental Impacts with Existing Research
- Impacts to Marine Mammals from Pre-construction Surveys
- Impacts to Seabirds
- Impacts to Whales and Other Marine Mammals
- Impacts to Fish and Seafloor Habitats
- Impacts from Noise
- Impacts from Electromagnetic Fields