Wednesday November 18th , 4pm, Mann Hall 323
Abstract: This presentation presents a model application of marine ecosystem-based management applied to spatially explicit planning for wind farm development in Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds and off the coast of North Carolina. Planning includes assessment of spatial distributions of available wind power, ecological risks and synergies, use conflicts affecting site selection, foundation systems and their compatibility with sound and ocean bottom geology and associated geologic dynamics, electric transmission infrastructure, utility statutory and regulatory barriers, the legal context, carbon reduction potential, and economics. Key findings in each of these areas as well as the overall conclusions are discussed.