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Marine renewable energy promises to assist in the effort to reduce carbon emissions worldwide. As with any large-scale development in the marine environment, however, it comes with uncertainty about potential environmental impacts, most of which have not been adequately evaluated—in part because many of the devices have yet to be deployed and tested. We review the nature of environmental and, more specifically, ecological effects of the development of diverse types of marine renewable energy—covering marine wind, wave, tidal, ocean current, and thermal gradient—and discuss the current state of knowledge or uncertainty on how these effects may be manifested. Many of the projected effects are common with other types of development in the marine environment; for example, additional structures lead to concerns for entanglement, habitat change, and community change. Other effects are relatively unique to marine energy conversion, and specific to the type of energy being harnessed, the individual device type, or the reduction in energy in marine systems. While many potential impacts are unavoidable but measurable, we would argue it is possible (and necessary) to minimize others through careful device development and site selection; the scale of development, however, will lead to cumulative effects that we must understand to avoid environmental impacts. Renewable energy developers, regulators, scientists, engineers, and ocean stakeholders must work together to achieve the common dual objectives of clean renewable energy and a healthy marine environment.

The Pacific Ocean is becoming valuable real estate. Fights over this space resemble those of the gold rush. Decision makers require data to integrate new uses (wave energy) with existing uses (commercial/recreational). It is vital to have the best data available and implement the best management practices concerning the environmental dimension. Yet, permitting processes rarely fail on technical or natural science grounds; rather, they fail because of lack of attention to the human dimension. Legislators and resource managers need to understand socioeconomic and sociopolitical perceptions. This knowledge is crucial for allowing citizens to determine their interests and civic opportunities. An informed and engaged public is essential to progress on environmental protection and sustainable development. It is important to assess the scope and depth of policy-relevant knowledge among stakeholders and the public, to learn where they acquire their information, and to flesh out the link between policy-relevant knowledge and understanding/acceptance of wave energy generation. By specifying the connection between knowledge holding and support for wave energy, purposeful public education and information dissemination efforts could be targeted effectively, and policy processes could be designed to maximize policy input and meet citizen and community concerns. This research program looked at wave energy in terms of political/regulatory processes and environmental, social, and economic sustainability and acceptability.

As the nation clamors for new renewable energy sources, hydrokinetic technologies—including wave, current, tidal, and in-stream energy technologies—offer promising additions to the grid. Placing new technologies in ocean and tidal environments, which contain vast, sometimes sensitive resources but are, surprisingly, relatively unstudied, presents a challenge to agencies and developers alike as the industry strives to move through initial project-permitting stages in an efficient but environmentally responsible manner. “Adaptive management” approaches can allow projects to be permitted and installed while providing agencies and other stakeholders the opportunity to verify their anticipated impacts. Moreover, where actual impacts exceed expectations, an adaptive management approach allows agencies to address such impacts consistent with existing regulatory standards intended to protect marine resources.

Section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) gave the US Department of the Interior(DOI) jurisdiction over activities that “produce or support production, transportation, or transmission of energy from sources other than oil or gas” (43 U.S.C. § 1337(p)(C) & (D)). The Secretary of the Interior delegated this authority to the Minerals Management Service (MMS). On April 29, 2009, MMS published a final rule entitled Renewable Energy and Alternative Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (“final rule” or “regulatory framework”; 30 C.F.R. Part 285). In the final rule, MMS established procedures for authorizing and managing renewable energy projects on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This article briefly explains the contours of MMS jurisdiction, the procedures for obtaining authorizations for renewable energy activities on the OCS, and the status of current OCS renewable energy leasing activities. MMS recognizes that it must balance a multitude of existing and evolving OCS interests, so in launching the offshore renewable energy program, the bureau is committed to securing the involvement of all entities that hold these interests.

There is growing interest in hydrokinetic technologies used to harness the free-flowing, renewable energy of the ocean's waves, currents, and tides, as well as inland rivers, without the use of dams. In response to this growing interest, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has experienced a surge in activity regarding the testing and development of hydrokinetic projects. Although the Commission's well-tested regulatory process is compatible with these hydrokinetic projects, providing a strong foundation for overseeing their orderly development, the Commission has been taking steps to adapt its program to the challenges of a new technology. Using input actively solicited from the industry, state and federal agencies, Native American tribes, and the public, the Commission has adapted its administrative procedures to meet the challenges of regulating this nascent industry.

Background Omega-3 fatty acids have various health benefits in combating against neurological problems, cancers, cardiac problems and hypertriglyceridemia. The main dietary omega-3 fatty acids are obtained from marine fish. Due to the pollution of marine environment, recently microalgae are considered as the promising source for the omega-3 fatty acid production. However, the demand and high production cost associated with microalgal biomass make it necessary to implement novel strategies in improving the biomass and omega-3 fatty acids from microalgae. Results Four plant hormones zeatin, indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GBA) and abscisic acid (ABA) were investigated for their effect on the production of biomass and lipid in isolated Chlorella sp. The cells showed an increase of the biomass and lipid content after treatments with the plant hormones where the highest stimulatory effect was observed in ABA-treated cells. On the other hand, IAA showed the highest stimulatory effect on the omega-3 fatty acids content, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (23.25%) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (26.06%). On the other hand, cells treated with ABA had highest lipid content suitable for the biodiesel applications. The determination of ROS markers, antioxidant enzymes, and fatty acid biosynthesis genes after plant hormones treatment helped elucidate the mechanism underlying the improvement in biomass, lipid content and omega-3 fatty acids. All four plant hormones upregulated the fatty acid biosynthesis genes, whereas IAA particularly increased omega-3-fatty acids as a result of the upregulation of omega-3 fatty acid desaturase. Conclusions The contents of omega-3 fatty acids, the clinically important compounds, were considerably improved in IAA-treated cells. The highest lipid content obtained from ABA-treated biomass can be used for biodiesel application according to its biodiesel properties. The EPA and DHA enriched ethyl esters are an approved form of omega-3 fatty acids by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which can be utilized as the therapeutic treatment for the severe hypertriglyceridemia.

The rapidly expanding offshore wind energy industry presents an unprecedented opportunity to collect valuable data on protected marine species, particularly the endangered North Atlantic right whale ( Eubalaena glacialis ), through required Protected Species Observer (PSO) programs. PSO data, gathered during industry activities by trained biologists in often remote and challenging offshore environments, can fill critical knowledge gaps regarding species distribution, occurrence, and interactions with development, informing conservation and management strategies. While challenges remain regarding data accessibility, standardization, and integration, ongoing initiatives by agencies like the US National Marine Fisheries Service and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management coupled with existing data-sharing efforts and open-source platforms, offer pathways to maximize the value of PSO data. Realizing this potential requires collaborative partnerships between industry, agencies, researchers, and other stakeholders to establish centralized, publicly accessible databases with standardized protocols and adequate funding for data management. Successfully leveraging PSO data will significantly enhance our understanding of marine species and contribute to their conservation in the face of increasing offshore development.

Marine hydrokinetic (MHK) energy offers a promising new source of renewable ocean energy. However, the young industry is faced with significant challenges. Most notable is the challenge of regulatory uncertainty that is thought to hamper the successful deployment of new tidal energy technologies. Adaptive management may be one approach to deal with uncertainty and inform permitting decisions for hydrokinetic projects. In this study, we apply the concept of adaptive management to the Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project in Maine to better understand and inform permitting decisions. Using a social science approach of observation, interviews, and document analysis, we examine (1) agency roles and authority, (2) agency interactions, (3) regulatory change, and (4) challenges faced in the regulatory and permitting process for MHK development at the federal and state level. We found four institutional factors favorable to an adaptive approach. These include experimentation and learning, institutionalized choice to correct avoidable error, a strong commitment to interagency coordination, and an emphasis on early proactive engagement with project developers. We also identified institutional challenges or vulnerabilities. These include conflicting agency cultures, high financial costs, and long timeframes associated with baseline data collection. Lessons learned from this study can assist regulators, policymakers, and project developers design and implement an actively adaptive management approach that can move new renewable ocean energy development forward in a way that is socially acceptable and environmentally responsible.

Most offshore wind farms are bottom-fixed at sites with less than 50 m of water depth. For deeper waters, floating platforms are economically viable and, for many countries that have steep continental shelves, this is the only option for developing offshore wind farms. If wind energy is being harvested far offshore in deep waters (more than 200 m depth and hundreds of km from the coast), one possible alternative is the use of Floating Production and Storage (FPS) sailing ships that navigate through the ocean using wind force and utilize part of the harvested wind power to produce and store fuel. These ships are called \"energy ships\". The objective of this paper is to carry out a qualitative determination of the global marine areas suitable for the operation of energy ships. To that purpose, wind and wave ship operation ranges have been defined and global databases of wind and waves have been used to obtain statistics of operational parameters. From the global analysis carried out the most promising areas and seasons for energy ship operation have been identified and qualified in terms of the aforementioned operational parameters