Abstract
Fresh water sources submerged beneath the ocean floor have been recognized for decades; however,
recent news coverage has raised the awareness of a specific aquifer offshore of the northeast Atlantic
coastline. In the last 20 to 30 years, this aquifer has been studied to gain understanding of its geologic and
hydrologic composition, how it developed, how it functions in present day, and the possible use as a
water source. The dissolved salt content of the aquifer has varied in reporting, but most studies describe
the aquifer as having more salt than potable fresh water based on direct water sampling, requiring
desalination if the source were to be used in the future. Although a great deal has been learned about this
aquifer, much more is still to be understood and quantified.
As with so many aspects of offshore wind, new questions about how turbines and related infrastructure
interact with human and natural surroundings are ongoing. This paper seeks to provide a high-level
overview of aquifers, a description of the aquifer off the Atlantic coastline, the viability of the aquifer as a
water source, and how offshore wind development may interact with the aquifer.