I officially finished up my eDNA postdoc in the Lockwood Lab last month and will be starting a second one (in coastal conservation; same lab) in mid-May. In the meantime, I’ve become involved in a short project related to ecological monitoring efforts at offshore wind turbines.

The US continental shelf is poised to increase from its current 6 offshore wind turbines (Block Island Wind Farm) to more than 6000 in a very short time period, on the order of one decade. That number could quadruple again by 2050. I’ve joined a 2-month project with the Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy to research options to guide and inform environmental monitoring approaches that will accompany this offshore energy boom. It will be a win for carbon emissions reduction and a real (but achievable) challenge to make sure it is done in an environmentally sound manner. Read more about the coming offshore wind rush here and here.