The responsible development of ocean energy projects requires that the ocean and freshwater environments be protected. Understanding the degree to which offshore renewable energy devices and the associated anchors, mooring lines, power cables and platforms may harm the environment requires estimating the risk that may be posed by each component to specific animals, habitats, and ecosystem processes. Risk assessment is a tool to determine the interactions of greatest concern. Modeling of offshore renewable energy system interactions with the environment provides mathematical estimates of risk and explains pathways by which that risk will occur. Tethys provides the platform to marshal data for modeling risk; archives and preserves the outputs of risk models and computational models that describe and quantify ocean energy/environment interactions; and allows researchers to build on the work of others. By bringing together outputs of risk assessments and modeling runs, regulators and ocean energy developers can pursue effective and efficient permitting processes that protect valuable ocean and freshwater resources while supporting the development of clean renewable offshore renewable energy.
A listing of risk analyses and models that describe and assess the MHK and offshore wind development on the marine and freshwater animals, habitats and ecosystem functions are listed below and are hosted within Tethys. Some models and analyses can be downloaded from Tethys while others are linked to outside servers and databases.
- Environmental Risk Evaluation System (ERES)
- Modeling MHK Energy Removal with Hydrodynamic Models
- Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) - Cumulative Effects Analysis Framework
- Assessments of Marine Receptors and Potential Impacts in Scottish Waters
- Sandia National Laboratory - Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code
- Tidal Turbine Blade Strike Analysis for Southern Resident Killer Whale
- SNL-SWAN: Simulation WAves Nearshore
