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NOAA Programs on Marine Mammals and Noise

NOAA Programs on Marine Mammals and Noise. Roger L. Gentry, Ph. D NMFS Office of Protected Resources Silver Spring, MD. A “federal agency” should: Collect and centralize existing data on ocean noise Establish a long-term noise monitoring program (for trend)

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NOAA Programs on Marine Mammals and Noise

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  1. NOAA Programs on Marine Mammals and Noise Roger L. Gentry, Ph. D NMFS Office of Protected Resources Silver Spring, MD

  2. A “federal agency” should: Collect and centralize existing data on ocean noise Establish a long-term noise monitoring program (for trend) Sponsor research on marine noise and long-term effects of noise on marine mammals Recommendations from recent NRC Panel on Ocean Noise

  3. Noise Standards: Types of Sound Single short sounds (including explosions) Multiple short sounds (sonar, airguns) Single long sounds (shipping) Multiple long sounds (ATOC-like)

  4. Noise Standards: Hearing groups(126 species) • Pinnipeds (seals) in air • Pinnipeds under water • Low frequency cetaceans (large whales) • High frequency cetaceans (harbor porpoise) • Mid frequency cetaceans (all other species) • Turtles, polar bears, sea otters, and manatees not included

  5. Information Available on Hearing and Noise Effects (for 130 species) • Normal hearing, 22 species • Slight hearing impairment, 6 species • Tissue injury (on cadavers), 2 species • Behavioral reaction, 12 species • No information on large whales except behavioral reaction

  6. Noise Standards: Information Need • Four noise types paired against five hearing groups in matrix format = 20 cells • each cell defines “take” by level A (injury) and level B harassment (behavioral disturbance) • Total = 40 definitions of “take” provided • No definition is fully supported by science

  7. The Costs of information Gaps in Hearing and Noise Effects • Frequent hill briefings and hearings • Law suits • LWAD (littoral antisubmarine experiment) • SURTASS LFA • NSF airgun array (geology and ocean drilling) • Tyack high frequency sonar • Added requests for MMPA authorizations (larger NMFS staff needed)

  8. Airgun noise in the mid-Atlantic Ocean 1999 2000 2001 1999 2000 2001 Figure: Sharon L. Nieukirk and Christopher G. Fox

  9. Annual Federal Budget for Noise Effects (e) and Measurements (m) • Navy/ONR (e) ……...……....…….…......$8 m • Oil industry(e)…………...………......…$2 m • NSF(e) …….…...………...……..….....$1 m • MMC(e) .……...…………………...…...$1 m • MMS(e)……...…………..…………....$0.5 m • NOAA (e)..……………..……..…..…....$0.2 m • (m)…………..…………………...…$0.0 m • purchase multibeam sonar ……....…$3 m

  10. Web Sites and Documents About NOAA Acoustics Programs • Available atww.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/ • Interim Report Bahamas Marine Mammal Stranding of 14-16 March 2000. • Report of the Workshop on Acoustic Resonance as a Source of Tissue Trauma in Cetaceans. • Whale Conservation Setback (rebuttal to the Tyack high frequency sonar decision) • OAR Acoustics Program • ww.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics

  11. Blast or Acoustic Sources NMFS Processes:1 (S = Stopped, D = deaths) • Ship shock trial (explosion) S • Construction explosion • Explosive rig removal S,D • Ship sinking exercise S • SUS explosive sonobuoy • Mine or UXO disposal S • Fireworks displays

  12. Blast or Acoustic Sources: 2 • Rocket launch • Sonic boom • Artillery shelling (5 inch) S • Gunnery (small caliber) • Oil/gas exploration airgun arrays S • Geological research, airgun arrays S,D? • Pulsed power (plasma discharge) S

  13. Blast or Acoustic Sources:3 • Pile driving S • Acoustic harassment devices S • Low frequency sonar SURTASS LFA S • Mid frequency sonar D • High frequency (mitigation) sonar S • Shallow water submarine experiment S • High frequency propagation experiment S

  14. Blast or Acoustic Sources:4 • Oceanographic research, ATOC S • Acoustic modem • Jet skis S • Ice breaking (Arctic) • Boat races • Note the absence of commercial shipping, the largest source of human noise

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