Resources
Exposure Index Calculator
Enter values here...
Hydrodynamic Exposure Calculator
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| Exposure Velocity: | m/s | |
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| Exposure Velocity at Reference Depth of 5m: | m/s | |
| Specific Exposure Energy: | J/kg | |
| Depth-integrated Energy Flux: | kW/m | |
| Structure-centered Depth-integrated Energy: | kJ kg/m3 | |
| Structure-centered Drag to Buoyancy Ratio: |
...or click on the map to use estimated ocean conditions for the selected location.
About the Exposure Calculator
Kelson and collaborators have developed new metrics for assessing exposure of sites for aquaculture and ocean renewable energy
Kelson Marine is an active member of the ICES Working Group for Open Ocean Aquaculture (WGOOA). As a Working Group, we have convened farmers, engineers, regulators, and scientists to resolve the present ambiguity in the term "Offshore Aquaculture". The Working Group now recommends two distinct metrics to quantitatively describe aquaculture sites:
"Distance from shore": Sites are described by their distance from the coast.
"Exposure": Sites are further described with an exposure index that incorporates the design wave, current velocity, and depth of the site.
This distinction addresses a need to define the terminology to reduce ambiguity for characterizing aquaculture sites to:
- Promote a common understanding and avoid misuse of different classifications;
- Enable regulators to identify the characteristics of a marine site;
- Allow farmers to assess or quantitively compare sites for development;
- Equip developers and producers to identify operational parameters for the equipment and vessels; and
- Provide insurers and investors with better means to assess risk and premiums.
To help farmers, developers, regulators, investors, and members of the public apply these definitions, Kelson provides a calculator for the proposed exposure index definitions.
References:
Lojek, O. Goseberg, N., Moe Fore, H., Dewhurst, T., Bölker, T, Heasman, K, Buck, B, Fredriksson, DW, Rickerich, S, 2024. Hydrodynamic exposure -On the quest to deriving quantitative metrics for mariculture sites. Frontiers in Aquaculture. Submitted.
Buck, B. H., Bjelland, H., Bockus, A., Chambers, M., Costa-Pierce, B. A., Dewhurst, T., Ferreira, J., Føre, H. M., Fredriksson, D., Goseberg, N., Holmyard, J., Isbert, W., Krause, G., Markus, T., Papandroulakis, N., Sclodnick, T., Silkes, B., Strand, Å., Troell, M., Wieczorek, D., van den Burg, S., Heasman, K. 2024. Resolving the term "offshore aquaculture": The importance of decoupling it from "exposed" and "distance from the coast". Frontiers in Aquaculture. Submitted.
Dewhurst, T., Rickerich, S., MacNicoll, M., Baker., N, and Moscicki, Z. 2024. The effect of site exposure index on the required structural capacities costs of aquaculture structures. Frontiers in Aquaculture. Submitted.
Heasman, K., Sclodnick, T., Goseberg, N., Scott, N, Chambers, C, Dewhurst, T., Rickerich, S, Moe Føre, H, and Buck, B. 2024. Utilisation of the site assessment energy index for aquaculture in exposed waters: Biology, technology, operations and maintenance. Frontiers in Aquaculture. Submitted.
Knowledge Hub
Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Seaweed Farm Survives Extreme Storm Éowyn
Kelson Marine and Open Climate Solutions worked together to design and de-risk a multi-trophic seaweed and oyster farm for Loch Melfort, Scotland. Engineered for resilience, the system improves water quality and ecosystem health while maximizing nutrient efficiency. Our mooring design and structural enhancements ensure long-term durability—even in extreme conditions. In January 2025, Storm Éowyn’s 78-knot winds caused widespread damage on land, yet our farm remained intact and fully operational. Built for performance and sustainability, this is aquaculture evolved. Learn more about our pioneering approach today.
Read more
Kelson Marine IPF Ocean Renewables Summit: Crossover between Offshore Wind and Renewables
Glimpse what Kelson and collaborators have been working on in marine renewable energy and related industries. Douglas Slocum's contributions to the panel on Supply Chain Crossovers Between Ocean Renewables and Offshore Wind, at Oceantic Network's Ocean Renewables Summit.🌊 At Kelson Marine, we bring model-based design + technoeconomic analysis to ocean energy—helping projects optimize for both CAPEX and long-term operations. 🌀 Our recent work includes: A multi-body wave energy converter (WEC) showing >10% energy gains using advanced control strategies. Fast-tracked hydrokinetic turbine platform design—from sketch to prototype-ready in just 2 months. Long-term metocean + extreme event analysis to push the envelope of industry design standards. 🔁 What transfers from offshore wind? Moorings, anchors, substations = highly portable. WEC-specific PTO + mooring needs = more bespoke, but design lessons from floating wind are highly relevant. 🚀 The wave energy space is still the "wild west"—but that's what makes it exciting. Lots of R&D, lots of promise. 👩🔧 Building the next-gen workforce? Support student competitions like MECC. They're inspiring the engineers who’ll shape the future of marine renewables.
Read more
Kelson Marine wins 2-year contract to de-risk mariculture investments in Alaska
Kelson Marine Co has won a major contract to deliver high-resolution regional wave, current, and environmental datasets across Southern Alaska’s mariculture corridor. The 22-month project, titled “De-Risking Investments in Aquatic Farming through Validated Regional Ocean and Wave Simulations Integrated with Model-Based Engineering and Techno-Economic Analysis”, will fill major gaps through: 1. Validated Ocean Modeling: Advanced simulations of wave, current, and wind conditions, rigorously benchmarked against real-world measurements. 2. Remote Sensing of Biogeochemistry: Seasonal surface temperature, salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll-a concentration mapped from satellite data. 3. Farm Design and TEA Modeling: Integration of metocean data into dynamic farm-scale structural models and cost-of-production analysis, creating realistic economic guidance across thousands of potential farm sites.
Read more
New Paper: "The effect of site exposure index on the required capacities of aquaculture structures"
Kelson's engineers published a new study in Frontiers in Aquaculture, exploring how simple exposure indices can (and can't!) predict the structural demands of open-ocean aquaculture systems. The study, titled "The effect of site exposure index on the required capacities of aquaculture structures", provides critical insights into how ocean site exposure impacts aquaculture infrastructure.
Read more
Seagriculture EU 2024: "Optimizing Seaweed Farming: Costs and Challenges"
Kelson engineer Toby served on a panel and gave a talk on the economics of seaweed farming at a session titled "Optimizing Seaweed Farming: Costs and Challenges" alongside experts from the University of Maine, Woods Hole, and UNH.
Read more
Offshore Wind and Aquaculture: Ntsoane presents at Intl. Partnering Forum
Kelson engineer William Ntsoane served on a panel and gave a talk on on commonalities between open-ocean aquaculture and offshore wind on a panel called "The Original Offshore Farm: Aquaculture Opportunities and Emerging Technologies" alongside Benjamin A. Brown, Christoffer Valstad, and David Capotosto.
Read moreSeagriculture EU: Resolving ‘Offshore’ Aquaculture
Kelson CEO Toby Dewhurst shared results from the Kelson team on how a site’s exposure energy and distance from shore affected the cost of seaweed at Seagriculture EU in Trondheim, Norway.
Read moreWe'll be adding to this collection going forward.
References:
Lojek, O. Goseberg, N., Moe Fore, H., Dewhurst, T., Bölker, T, Heasman, K, Buck, B, Fredriksson, DW, Rickerich, S, 2024. Hydrodynamic exposure -On the quest to deriving quantitative metrics for mariculture sites. Frontiers in Aquaculture. Submitted.
Buck, B. H., Bjelland, H., Bockus, A., Chambers, M., Costa-Pierce, B. A., Dewhurst, T., Ferreira, J., Føre, H. M., Fredriksson, D., Goseberg, N., Holmyard, J., Isbert, W., Krause, G., Markus, T., Papandroulakis, N., Sclodnick, T., Silkes, B., Strand, Å., Troell, M., Wieczorek, D., van den Burg, S., Heasman, K. 2024. Resolving the term "offshore aquaculture": The importance of decoupling it from "exposed" and "distance from the coast". Frontiers in Aquaculture. Submitted.
Dewhurst, T., Rickerich, S., MacNicoll, M., Baker., N, and Moscicki, Z. 2024. The effect of site exposure index on the required structural capacities costs of aquaculture structures. Frontiers in Aquaculture. Submitted.
Heasman, K., Sclodnick, T., Goseberg, N., Scott, N, Chambers, C, Dewhurst, T., Rickerich, S, Moe Føre, H, and Buck, B. 2024. Utilisation of the site assessment energy index for aquaculture in exposed waters: Biology, technology, operations and maintenance. Frontiers in Aquaculture. Submitted.
What Else We're Up To
Kelson Marine Awarded 2-year contract to de-risk mariculture investments using regional ocean modeling, engineering, and TEA
Kelson Marine Engineers Publish Research on Structural Demands for Open-Ocean Aquaculture
Dewhurst Presents at Seagriculture EU on Resolving ‘Offshore’ Aquaculture
The whole Kelson simulation-based design ecosystem is amazing! Questions that would have taken me months to resolve in academia I can now do in a matter of days
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