Gulf of Maine's currents play crucial roles in lobster and sea scallop life cycles:

The Gulf of Maine's currents play crucial roles in lobster and sea scallop life cycles

How Floating Offshore Wind  Turbines' chronic diversion of kinetic wind energy away from large areas of  the Gulf of Maine sea surface to an onshore power grid  affects the  coordination of those two species  natural lifecycles.     

LOBSTER The currents of the Gulf of Maine are vital to lobster in several key ways:

1. Larval Transport

• After hatching, lobster larvae spend 4-6 weeks floating in the water column
• The Eastern Maine Coastal Current and other Gulf currents carry these tiny lobsters to their nursery grounds
• The strength and direction of these currents help determine where young lobsters will eventually settle
• Any weakening or disruption of these currents could affect larval survival and settlement patterns

2. Temperature Regulation

• Currents help maintain the cold, well-mixed waters lobsters prefer
• Upwelling brings nutrient-rich cold water that supports the food web lobsters depend on
• If wind farms weaken this mixing and upwelling, it could affect both lobster habitat and their food sources

ATLANTIC SEA SCALLOPS  these filter feeders rely on currents in even more direct ways:

1. Reproduction and Dispersal

• Scallops release their eggs and sperm into the water column
• Fertilized eggs develop into larvae that spend 4-6 weeks drifting with currents
• The Georges Bank gyre and Gulf of Maine circulation patterns are crucial for keeping scallop larvae in areas where they can successfully settle
• Any disruption to these circulation patterns could affect scallop recruitment

2. Feeding

• Scallops are filter feeders that depend on currents to bring them plankton and nutrients
• The upwelling and mixing driven by wind energy creates the productive conditions scallops need
• Weakened currents could mean less food availability for scallops

3. Population Connectivity

• The Gulf's current system connects different scallop populations
• This connectivity helps maintain genetic diversity and resilience
• Current disruption could isolate populations and make them more vulnerable

Impact of Wind Farm Energy Extraction When wind farms remove energy that would normally drive these currents:

• Larval transport patterns could change
• Upwelling and mixing might be reduced
• Temperature patterns could shift
• Food web dynamics might be altered

These changes could affect both species':

• Reproduction success
• Population distribution
• Growth rates
• Long-term survival 
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