Characterizing marine biotic communities in the US Atlantic in relation to offshore wind energy development

Le résumé fourni par la source

Offshore areas in the US Atlantic have substantial wind energy development potential. Characterizing baseline marine biotic communities and predator-prey patterns is a key initial step in evaluating potential changes to ecosystem structure and trophic dynamics from offshore wind development. We characterized and compared the community patterns and spatial correlations of key marine predators (marine mammals, seabirds) and their prey (zooplankton, invertebrates, and fishes) across 40 wind areas and 7 subregions in the US Atlantic. Wind areas in the Gulf of Maine consistently exhibited distinct biotic communities, higher predator-prey spatial overlap, and lower seasonal variation compared with wind areas in more southerly subregions. We found strong within-subregion variability in biotic community composition for subregions in the mid-Atlantic, including nearshore-offshore gradients and seasonal trends likely driven by oceanographic features, such as the Mid-Atlantic Cold Pool, and seasonal migratory movements. Our results suggest that differences in baseline trophic dynamics and community structures should be carefully considered when assessing risk, predicting responses of marine predators to offshore wind energy development, and developing future research studies. We also highlight the need for higher resolution data, greater standardization across data sources, and more detailed data for forage fish, which are important prey species for marine predators across the region.

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