Title: The Effects of Soil Damping on Monopile-Supported Offshore Wind Turbines" Description: Random wind and waves acting on monopile-supported offshore wind turbines have load frequencies close to the resonant structural frequency. This condition necessitates a careful consideration of all sources of damping in order to reduce the loads on the structure. Of all the sources of damping (aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, structural, and soil), soil damping has been the least investigated. Methodologies for modeling soil damping will be presented and the effect of soil damping on offshore wind turbines quantified.

Title: Modeling Bald Eagle Movements near Current and Potential Wind Energy Facilities in Maine Description: Maine has quickly become the leader in wind energy production in the northeastern United States but also possesses the region?s highest density of federally-protected bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). As wind energy production continues to be developed in the state and coastal waters, research is needed to understand and manage the potential effects of wind energy facilities on eagle populations. Current knowledge gaps in bald eagle ecology, including breeding territory size, resource selection, and behavioral adaptations have limited researchers? ability to conduct risk analyses. This presentation will address a research plan to examine these uncertainties by developing a spatially-explicit, individual-based movement model using GPS telemetry data and GIS datalayers to model and simulate the underlying behavioral mechanisms breeding eagles are most likely to employ when navigating their landscape.