This month, NCCOS and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)signed a three-year agreement to support alternative energy development in the New York Bight region. Under this agreement, NCCOS will provide technical services and expertise to produce comprehensive seafloor substrate maps and model validation of the region.

In 2011, BOEM received an unsolicited request for a commercial lease from the New York Power Authority that proposed an offshore wind power project south of Long Island, approximately 13 miles off Rockaway Peninsula. The location, formally known as the New York Wind Energy Area, is approximately 470 square kilometersin size and was recently announced for proposed lease sale and public comment.

NCCOS efforts will include the characterization of seafloor habitats, morphology, and topology through the use of high-resolution multibeam sonar surveys; optical ground-truthing surveys; substrate and grain-size characterization; characterizing fish abundance and distribution using fishery acoustics; and regional hard bottom prediction modelling. It is anticipated that ship assets from NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations will be used to conduct survey efforts in Fiscal Year 2017 (acoustic surveys) and Fiscal Year 2018 (ground-truthing). NCCOS will partner with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Office of Coast Survey, and private industry to complete this effort.

For more information, contact Tim.Battista@noaa.gov.