Collision risk models are often used to estimate risk of avian collisions with offshore wind energy turbines

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation federal grant program (CFDA 15.655) provides $511,109 to Biodiversity Research Institute to further develop and expand upon the existing Stochastic Collision Risk Assessment for Movement (SCRAM) web application. The SCRAM models and web tool estimate the risk of avian collisions with offshore wind energy turbines in the U.S. Atlantic region using movement data from automated radio telemetry studies for three federally protected bird species: roseate tern, piping plover, and red knot.

The project will improve the SCRAM models and web application to better support risk assessments and effects determinations for offshore wind facilities in the U.S. Atlantic. Key deliverables include updated publicly available and annotated model code, an enhanced web application, a user manual, and a final report. These products can be used to inform regulatory processes and collision risk assessments at offshore lease areas. The project will also involve collaboration with international experts to help develop a common approach for obtaining biologically defensible cumulative effects estimates. The award period runs from September 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026.

To estimate risk of avian collisions with offshore wind energy turbines in the U.S. Atlantic a stochastic collision risk model using movement data from automated radio telemetry motus studies was developed for several federally protected bird species. An online web application of the model called stochastic collision risk assessment for movement scram and accompanying report and user manual were made publicly available in 2022 to improve consistency and transparency in collision risk estimates for offshore wind farms in the U.S. Atlantic. Thisnew project will further improve and expand upon the existing scram models and web application to further support risk assessments and effects determinations for offshore wind facilities in the US atlantic. The current version of scram runs a stochastic collision risk model that was developed using movement data from automated radio telemetry studies for three federally protected bird speciesthe roseate tern piping plover and red knot. The collision risk estimation process includes four main COMPONENTS1 movement modeling to determine monthly occupancy rates over the northeast shelf ecosystem NES 2 linking of monthly population estimatesto occupancy rates to estimate species density across the NES 3 flight height estimation from motus data to further refine the proportion of the population at risk for collision and 4 a collision risk model that uses density estimates at specific flight heights along with a suite of other species and locationspecific parameters to estimate collision for a specified turbine array. Phase 3 of scram beginning in autumn of 2024 will continue to improve movement and flight height model structures and expand the model to include other datasets and species. In addition this effort will include collaboration with international experts to help develop a common approach for obtaining biologically defensible cumulative effects estimates to meet regulatory needs. Deliverables from this effort will include updated publicly available and fully annotated model code web application user manual and final report. These products can be used to inform risk assessments and effects determinations at all offshore lease areas in the US atlantic.