noaa programs on marine mammals and noise roger l. gentry, ph. d nmfs office of protected resources...
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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)– Sponsor research on marine noise and
long-term effects of noise on marine mammals
Recommendations from recent NRC Panel on Ocean Noise
Noise Standards: Types of Sound
• Single short sounds (including explosions)
• Multiple short sounds (sonar, airguns)
• Single long sounds (shipping)
• Multiple long sounds (ATOC-like)
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
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
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
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)
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Airgun noise in the mid-Atlantic Ocean
1999 2000 2001 1999 2000 2001
Figure: Sharon L. Nieukirk and Christopher G. Fox
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
Web Sites and Documents About NOAA Acoustics Programs
• Available at ww.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
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
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
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
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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