Investigating the Overlap Between the Mid-Atlantic Bight Cold Pool and Offshore Wind Lease Areas

The Mid-Atlantic Cold Pool is a seasonal mass of cold bottom water that extends throughout the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). The Cold Pool forms from rapid surface warming in the spring and dissipates in the fall due to mixing events such as storms. The Cold Pool supports coastal ecosystems and economically valuable commercial and recreational fisheries along the MAB. Offshore wind energy has been rapidly developing within the MAB in recent years. Studies in Europe demonstrate that existing WEAs can impact seasonal stratification; however, there is limited information on how MAB wind development will affect the Cold Pool. Seasonal overlap between the Cold Pool and wind lease areas in the Southern New York Bight along coastal New Jersey was evaluated using a data assimilative ocean model. Results highlight overlap periods as well as a thermal gradient that persists after bottom temperatures warm above the threshold typically used to identify the Cold Pool. These results also support cross-shelf variability in Cold Pool evolution. This work highlights the need for more focused ocean modeling studies and observations of the Cold Pool and MAB wind lease area overlap.