{"id":251796,"date":"2026-08-19T09:50:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T13:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=251796"},"modified":"2026-08-19T09:50:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T13:50:53","slug":"uconn-marine-sciences-students-study-offshore-winds-impact-on-plankton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/08\/uconn-marine-sciences-students-study-offshore-winds-impact-on-plankton\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Marine Sciences Students Study Offshore Wind\u2019s Impact on Plankton"},"content":{"rendered":"

Graduate students Xavier Warren<\/strong> and Vicki You \u201924 (CLAS)<\/strong> are enjoying the ocean this summer. But they’re not spending their days at the beach; they are aboard UConn\u2019s Research Vessel (R\/V) Connecticut(opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, helping study how offshore wind development may affect the marine ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Warren and You are Ph.D. candidates in the oceanography program in the Department of Marine Sciences, taking part in a UConn-led study(opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>documenting the potential environmental impacts of Revolution Wind(opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

During a recent expedition from June 30 to July 2, they continued expanding their hands-on experience collecting various types of samples that researchers will use to assess marine ecosystem biodiversity during active construction of the wind farm.<\/p>\n

This most recent research expedition marks the seventh cruise in a multi-year project funded by Revolution Wind. As offshore wind projects expand into areas like Connecticut, the project aims to inform how these developments interact with the marine ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Paola Batta-Lona(opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>, assistant research professor of marine sciences and the research program manager, says that the project aims to evaluate whether plankton diversity in the local marine ecosystem will change during and after construction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully, we were able to be there when they were constructing Revolution Wind, so we can get a sense of what it was like here during construction,\u201d Batta-Lona says. \u201cNow we\u2019re looking at what comes after.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Plankton?<\/h2>\n
\"Students
UConn marine sciences students preparing to take samples during their shift on the research vessel. (Photo courtesy of Paola Batta-Lona)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While other projects focus on larger forms of marine life, this project\u2019s focus is much smaller.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of looking at marine mammals or the bigger, more charismatic organisms, our study is looking at the food they eat,\u201d says Batta-Lona.<\/p>\n

Plankton represent the base of the marine food web, which makes them vitally important to the local ecosystem, according to You.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning what organisms are present is very important in terms of helping researchers and agencies make informed decisions,\u201d You explains.<\/p>\n

This study aims to capture a comprehensive look at the impacts of wind farm construction on plankton and beyond. According to Batta-Lona, no study in the region has combined as many disciplines.<\/p>\n

The researchers hope the interdisciplinary nature of the project will expand understanding that is more specific to our local environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been referencing reports from European wind farms for years now, because that\u2019s our baseline,\u201d says Warren. \u201cIt would be really good if we could provide a more local reference for the Northeastern Shelf.”<\/p>\n

Beyond the Boat<\/h2>\n

This expedition presents not only the opportunity to study the local environment, but also the chance for the students to gain vital hands-on experience.<\/p>\n

Researchers on the expedition work in shifts, operating four to five stations per day. During these shifts, students and researchers use nets, drifters, specialized cameras, and other methods to collect plankton samples.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese activities give students practical training on oceanography and field methods, helping them understand how different types of data are collected during a research expedition,\u201d explains Batta-Lona.<\/p>\n

Both students acknowledge the value of these hands-on experiences, citing chances to build their problem-solving skills in the field, where things rarely go according to plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to dive into the deep end of getting to know everyone and how these samples are collected,\u201d says Warren. \u201cIn terms of sampling procedure, I came in with a good amount of experience. In terms of the nuances of what I\u2019m actually collecting, I think UConn gave me that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

This experience in the field will prove to be useful in the students\u2019 prospective careers as well, says Batta-Lona.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started going to sea when I was in grad school, and I have been able to present that experience to employers,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople saw that I already knew how to go to sea, so they wanted me for those projects.\u201d For Warren and You, this was not their first research expedition, but another opportunity to build on the applied research and collaboration they have experienced at UConn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve really fallen in love with the community here,\u201d says You, who came to UConn for an undergraduate degree in marine sciences. \u201cIt made me want to pursue the field as a Ph.D. student.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re a nice tight-knit cohort; we do a lot of activities together,\u201d says Warren.<\/p>\n

That sense of connection mirrors the larger purpose of the project: building knowledge that can help guide communities in their long-term decisions about the state\u2019s marine environment, starting with some of its smallest residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou start with these little organisms and fish and over months of analysis you start building these data points,\u201d says You. \u201cI hope that what we find here can be used by other researchers and can contribute to long-term ecosystem management.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Xavier Warren and Vicki You \u201924 (CLAS) are continuing their graduate studies on an ocean research expedition this summer, studying how offshore wind development may affect the marine ecosystem off Connecticut\u2019s coast and some of the state\u2019s smallest inhabitants. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":251799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2226,2466],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1858],"class_list":["post-251796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clas","category-marine-sciences"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-26 14:29:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251796"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251801,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251796\/revisions\/251801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/251799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251796"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=251796"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=251796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}