Ocean Science Field Notes: Testing Nature-Inspired Coatings on Offshore Wind Infrastructure That Encourage Marine Biodiversity | Mass Clean Energy Center
Editor’s note: This article highlights a unique partnership between the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), WHOI, INSPIRE Environmental, Tufts University, Boskalis, and Ørsted, combining expertise in marine ecology, materials science, engineering, and offshore construction to advance nature-inclusive design.
While offshore wind infrastructure is designed to deliver clean energy, it also creates new underwater surfaces where marine life can grow. Our question is simple: Can we intentionally design these surfaces to support healthier, more diverse marine ecosystems?
That question has brought together marine biologists, chemists, engineers, offshore construction specialists, and industry partners to rethink how offshore infrastructure interacts with the ocean. Rather than treating marine growth as an unavoidable consequence, we are exploring whether carefully designed surfaces can encourage the growth and establishment of native species and help support the long-term health and resilience of coastal and near-shore ecosystems.
Every surface placed in the ocean quickly becomes colonized by microorganisms, algae, and invertebrates. These early colonizers help shape the communities that follow, influencing biodiversity, habitat quality, and the organisms that eventually use offshore wind foundations and cable protection structures.