National Northwest Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) Publications

Assessing and Addressing Information Needs of Stakeholders Involved in Wave Energy Development and Marine Spatial Planning

2013-04-02T19:59:56Z

Assessing and Addressing Information Needs of Stakeholders Involved in Wave Energy Development and Marine Spatial Planning Sherman, Kate; Henkel, Sarah; Webster, Janet This project examined the information needs of those interested in the planning for marine renewable energy in Oregon. The objective was to recommend to Oregon State University’s Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) an approach to facilitating sharing of relevant information concerning marine renewable energy in Oregon and Washington. The focus was primarily on Oregon given recent developments at the state level.

Development and Calibration of a Sound Propagation Model for the Oregon Coast

2013-03-07T00:21:25Z

Development and Calibration of a Sound Propagation Model for the Oregon Coast Küsel, Elizabeth T.; Siderius, Martin; Sorenson, Eric; Klinck, Holger; Mellinger, David K. In this report we present results of a sound propagation modeling study off the coast of Newport, OR. Preliminary acoustic experimental data was also collected by an underwater glider equipped with a hydrophone to measure sound levels in a short transect perpendicular to the coast and away from a sound source. A propagation model was used to simulate the arrivals recorded by the glider’s hydrophone and results were compared to the experimental data. Optimal experimental setup for future measurements using a glider is suggested.

Marine bird colony and at-sea distributions along the Oregon coast: Implications for marine spatial planning and information gap analysis

2013-03-07T00:23:36Z

Marine bird colony and at-sea distributions along the Oregon coast: Implications for marine spatial planning and information gap analysis Suryan, Robert M.; Phillips, Elizabeth M.; So, Khemarith; Zamon, Jeannette E.; Lowe, Roy W.; Stephensen, Shawn W. Increasingly diverse interests in commercial and recreational use of marine resources are creating new challenges for coastal ocean management. One concern of increased offshore use and development off the Oregon coast is the potential impact on marine bird populations. We summarized the primary surveys of seabird breeding colonies and at-sea distribution along the Oregon coast to describe spatial patterns in species distribution and identify gaps where additional data are needed. The abundance of breeding birds during the summer (over 1 million in total, primarily Common Murre Uria aalge and Leach’s Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa) is greatest in northern and southern Oregon due to the availability of breeding habitat on large offshore rocks and islands. While there are fewer breeding colonies along sandy shorelines, the adjacent coastal waters are still frequented by breeding birds and nonbreeding migrants, but generally in lower densities during summer. Seabird density, and likely potential interaction with offshore structures, is greatest nearshore and steadily declines to lowest levels beyond the outer continental shelf. Dynamic soaring species, however, which have a greater potential to interact with taller structures such as wind turbines, tend to be more common on the middle to outer shelf. Species composition also changes dramatically among seasons. Low flying (< 30 m above sea level) diving species dominate in most seasons, however, which has potential conservation implications for interactions with structures above and below the water’s surface. Given the abundance of storm-petrels, increased light pollution is also a concern for these and other nocturnal, phototactic species. Dramatic declines or redistributions have occurred at some breeding colonies, indicating long-term planning should consider changing habitat requirements. The greatest data needs currently include fall/winter/spring at-sea distribution, summer distribution off southern Oregon, and more accurate estimates and monitoring of burrow-nesting seabirds. Oregon’s coastal waters provide habitat for a large portion of breeding and nonbreeding marine birds along the U.S. west coast and a thorough knowledge of their spatial distribution, seasonal abundance, and migration corridors is critical for well-informed marine spatial planning.

Waves, WEC, and Arrays

2011-12-19T22:25:48Z

Waves, WEC, and Arrays McNatt, Cameron This presentation was given as part of Oregon State University's College of Oceanographic and Atmospheric Sciences graduate student seminar series. It is critical to understand waves dynamics in order to design wave energy convertors and then deploy them in arrays. Modelling suggests that array interactions lead to constructive and destructive interference.