Synthesizing information on avian vulnerability with study design analysis to support planning for regional offshore wind research efforts

The goals of this project are to 1) update the Atlantic seabird vulnerability assessment Willmott et al. 2013), and 2) inform the design of displacement studies at multiple spatial scales such that these studies are effective, standardized, and cost-efficient. As such, the questions we aim to address in this proposal are methodologically focused. In particular, we will focus on determining how to best incorporate information into assessments of vulnerability to offshore wind (OSW) development and study design frameworks, including describing and incorporating uncertainty into such assessments. Our primary research questions are:Question #1: How do we best incorporate new information and uncertainty into assessments of avian vulnerability to OSW development?Question #2: Given the current best available science, what is the best manner to assess project-level and regional displacement in birds due to offshore wind development?Question #3: Does current uncertainty in avian responses to offshore wind influence project-level or regional study design choices?