Skrumpky

U.S. Navy Marine Species
Monitoring Program
This is a work product for the purpose of technical review. All
data and information in this presentation is preliminary and
should not be cited or reproduced without first contacting the
presenter. All field work is conducted under appropriate
permits under ESA/MMPA.
Please visit the US Navy Marine Species Monitoring Program
web portal for additional information on this project –
www.navymarinespeciesmonitoring.us
US Navy Marine Species Monitoring Program – Atlantic Technical Review Meeting
Virginia Beach, VA
30-31 March 2015
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management:
An Overview and Review
of PAM in the Atlantic
Kimberly Skrupky
Kimberly.skrupky@boem.gov
• BOEM promotes energy independence, environmental protection and
economic development through responsible, science-based management of
offshore conventional and renewable energy and marine mineral resources
• BOEM’s Office of Environmental Programs conducts environmental reviews
and compliance documents for each major stage of energy development
planning
• BOEM’s scientists conduct and oversee environmental studies to inform policy
decisions relating to the management of energy and marine mineral
resources on the OCS
Environmental Impacts
Oil and gas, renewable
energy, and marine
mineral mining
(BOEM’s 3 program
areas) on the OCS all
impact the
environment
• Oil spills
• Bottom disturbance
• Obstructions to
movement & migration
• Noise
• Air emissions
• Lighting
• Vessel traffic
• “Viewscape”
Environmental Studies Program
Overview
• Initiated in 1973 to support the DOI offshore oil
and gas leasing program
• Authorized by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands
Act
• Over $1 billion in funded research
• About $35 million funded annually
• Publications posted on BOEM website
http://www.boem.gov/Environmental-StudiesEnvData/
Studies Budget
FY 2010-2014 $170 Million Cumulative
9%
4%
9%
Air Quality
16%
Fates & Effects
28%
Habitat & Ecology
Information Management
29%
5%
Marine Mammals & Protected Species
Physical Oceanography
Social Science & Economics
Key Considerations for Studies
•
•
•
•
Need
Merit
Feasibility
Cost
Renewable Energy PAM Studies
Maryland
• Co-operative agreement with Maryland DNR in collaboration with University of Maryland and
Cornell
• Objectives:
– Determine the temporal occurrence and spatial distributions of vocalizing marine
mammals (including right whales, fin whales, humpback whales, minke whales and any
small cetacean species) identified using a combination of automated call detection
software and expert human validation
– Estimate specific spatial locations and movements of right whales within and near the
Maryland WEA, using an acoustic localization array. For each right whale contact call
recorded by three or more hydrophones, the location of the calling right whale will be
estimated using software that computes the most likely location for the whale based on
arrival time differences
– Assess ambient sound levels throughout the Maryland WEA
• Period of Performance: May 2014-May 2017; two years of data collection and one year for
analysis
• PAM Design: Deployed November 2014
– 10 MARUs sampling at 2 kHz to detect large whales (lower frequencies): 7 MARUs within
the WEA and three outside the WEA; Grid array to facilitate localization of vocalizing
whales
– 4 C-PODs monitors the 20-160 kHz frequency range, sampling at 50 kHz (mid to high
frequencies): 1 unit within the WEA, 3 units outside the WEA: 1 unit inshore, 2 units
offshore
Maryland PAM
Renewable Energy PAM Studies
VA PAM
•
•
Co-operative agreement with Cornell
NOFA published week of March 23, 2015
http://www.boem.gov/press03242015a/
•
Objectives:
• Continue and expand Cornell’s PAM data collection offshore VA June
2011-March 2013
• Describe marine mammal presence, distribution and seasonality
within the VA WEA
• Provide data on ambient noise levels to assist in determining the
potential impacts from underwater noise that may occur during
construction and operation of offshore wind energy facilities on
marine mammals
• Analysis of data collected during the co-occurrence of geophysical
surveys (Fugro) and passive acoustic monitoring (Cornell) offshore
VA
Period of Performance: 2015-2017
PAM Design: Still to be determined but the array will facilitate
localization of vocalizing whales within the WEA and stretch out to the
shelf break
•
•
Virginia PAM
AMAPPS II PAM
WESTERN ATLANTIC HARP APPAY PROJECT
• Under existing AMAPPS II Inter Agency agreement
• Dr Sofie van Parijs from NMFS NEFSC is the PI
• Objectives:
• Monitor the full suite of marine mammal species (vocalizing in the 10Hz to
~ 96kHz range) that utilize the Western Atlantic shelf break year round
• Where possible, collect an acoustic baseline prior to the commencement
of oil and gas operations off the Western Atlantic
• Period of Performance: Still being determined based on funding considerations,
for now 2015-2016
• PAM Design:
• Still being determined, based on funding availability. Hoping to have a
Western Atlantic-wide HARP array i.e. Maine to FL
• GOMR provided $800K for shelf break HARP deployment in SE area of
interest for BOEM’s oil and gas program
• Leveraging existing Navy HARPs offshore VA, NC and FL, in collaboration
with Duke University and SEFSC HARPs
• Require further funding for additional units and analysis
Proposed Atlantic HARP Array
Potential NC PAM
NC PAM
Currently reviewing a proposal for PAM array offshore NC including Wilmington and
Kitty Hawk WEAs.
Thanks!
For more information regarding these PAM
efforts, contact Desray Reeb at
Desray.Reeb@boem.gov
Or you can reach me at
Kimberly.Skrupky@boem.gov