Rutgers Research on Offshore Wind Energy in NJ is Option Green Topic

As New Jersey aims to procure half of its energy needs from renewable resources by 2030, a team of researchers at Rutgers’ Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL) is playing an important role in developing and advancing the science that informs decision making around a key source: offshore wind energy.

Grace Saba, an associate professor who leads a team focused on biological oceanography and marine ecology at the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, will discuss the latest Rutgers research at the next Option Green program at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 17. This will be a hybrid event offered in person at the East Brunswick Public Library and on Zoom. Register to view on Zoom by going to this link.

Saba will discuss how the offshore wind team at Rutgers University’s Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL) is working to develop and advance the science that informs decision-making around offshore wind.

”We do this through research using both observations and models, and extensive engagement with stakeholders on the issues important to this new industry,” she said.

As faculty with RUCOOL, Saba is collecting observational data on ecological and physical oceanographic conditions such as temperature, stratification, ocean acidification, pelagic zooplankton and fish biomass, as well as marine mammal presence using autonomous underwater gliders in current and planned wind lease areas.

The Option Green lecture series is presented by the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission in partnership with the East Brunswick Public Library. It is free and open to the public. For more information about the FriendsEBEC, a nonprofit community group dedicated to conservation and education, go to friendsebec.com.