Acoustics Program Research Projects
The Ocean Acoustics program supports research that expands understanding of the potential impacts of man-made ocean noise on marine animals in accordance with the 2016 release of NOAA's Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap and requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act.
Projects fall under the following research themes: 1) levels and trends in ocean noise, 2) the 'soundscape' and noise animals are exposed to, 3) animals’ use of sound, 4) effects of noise exposure on auditory ability, behavior, physiology, and/or communication, and 5) mitigation measures needed to reduce noise exposure and/or its effects. Projects are listed below. For more information regarding the Acoustics Program contact Jason Gedamke, jason.gedamke@noaa.gov, NMFS Office of Science and Technology.
Funded Projects:
2020
- Characterizing the marine soundscape across the Central and Western North Pacific (Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center)
- Characterizing soundscapes in endangered killer whale habitat with projected increases in vessel traffic (Northwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Can we match fish species identified using video collected on large-scale fishery-independent surveys with concurrent acoustic recordings to help inform fisheries management, soundscape ecology, and noise impacts? (Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries)
- Analyzing recordings from potential Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale habitat and characterizing ocean noise in Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Southeast Fisheries Science Center)
2019
- Contributions of anthropogenic, environmental, and biological noise in the Right Whale Critical Habitat of the southeastern Bering Sea (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Office of Science and Technology)
- Characterizing baseline soundscapes in endangered killer whale habitat with projected increases in vessel traffic (Northwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Developing international collaborations and deploying autonomous acoustic recorders to investigate potential Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale habitat and characterize ocean noise in Mexican waters (Southeast Fisheries Science Center)
- Investigation into the effect of seal bombs on harbor porpoise in Monterey Bay (Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary)
2018
- The quiet, the noisy, and the very noisy: characterizing marine mammal acoustic spaces in three different Arctic environments (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
- Quantifying human drivers of noise in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: a focus on seal bombs (Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Understanding the courting and spawning sounds of soniferous groupers and the effects of the acoustic environment (Southeast Fisheries Science Center)
- Characterizing baseline soundscapes in endangered killer whale habitat with projected increases in vessel traffic and potential noise mitigation measures (Northwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Characterizing the marine soundscape in Kona, Hawaii (Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center)
2017
- Combining passive- and active-acoustic sampling to assess the importance of offshore oil platforms as spawning sites for commercially important and protected groupers in the Gulf of Mexico
- Developing NOAA’s capacity to characterize marine soundscapes for resource protection: securing and augmenting a pilot project in four National Marine Sanctuaries
- Measuring physiological effects of changing noise levels on Pacific gray whales
- Analyzing passive acoustic recordings from potential Bryde’s whale habitat and characterizing ocean noise in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
- Acoustic monitoring of recovery and resilience of coral reef ecosystems
2016
- Depth-dependence in ocean noise monitoring and cetacean detection probability (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Phase II - Developing metrics to characterize marine soundscape diversity: finalizing Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary case study and transitioning to US East-Coast wide project design (Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary)
- A pilot project toward measuring physiological effects of noise exposure on Pacific gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) (Office of Atmospheric Research - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
- Ocean noise trends across the North Pacific Ocean: comparison of empirical and model data (Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center)
- Deploying autonomous recorders to investigate potential Bryde’s whale habitat and characterize ocean noise in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (Southeast Fisheries Science Center)
2015
- Mapping ocean noise off Southern California: a meso-scale operational test of a pelagic buoy-based recording system (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Passive acoustic ocean observing: marine mammals and anthropogenic sound from the High Arctic to the Bering Sea (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
- Combining passive- and active-acoustic sampling to assess the effects of boat noise and fishing activities on the distribution, abundance, and behavior of spawning croakers (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
- An ocean-noise budget for the rapidly changing Arctic: quantifying the contribution of vessel traffic and seismic exploration (Office of Atmospheric Research - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
- Characterizing ocean soundscapes and fish spawning activity from passive acoustics in the South Atlantic Bight (Southeast Fisheries Science Center)
2014
- Passive acoustic ocean observing: marine mammals and anthropogenic sound from the High Arctic to the Bering Sea (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
- The NOAA Ocean Noise Reference Station Network (Office of Atmospheric Research - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
- Interannual trends in noise levels in the central and western Pacific Ocean (Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center)
- Developing metrics to characterize marine soundscape diversity: comparing the acoustic signatures of two long-term monitoring stations within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Northeast Fisheries Science Center)
- Vessel sound exposure and effects on foraging in southern resident killer whales (Northwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Using acoustic data to determine foraging behavior and success of beluga whales in Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
- Implementing very high-frequency acoustic monitoring capabilities: evaluating the occurrence of all high-frequency echolocators off Hawaii Island (Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center)
2013
- Passive acoustic ocean observing: marine mammals and anthropogenic sound from the High Arctic to the Bering Sea (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
- Quantifying masked hearing in belugas with anthropogenic noise from Cook Inlet (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
- Digging into the details of ships and whales: assessing baleen whale acoustic responses to the passage of large commercial vessels and improving available metrics for vessel source levels (Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary)
- Fin whale vocalization behavior in response to long-term variations in deep ocean ambient sound across the North Pacific (Office of Atmospheric Research - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
- Pinniped Acoustic Controlled Exposure Study: PACES - Phase II (Office of Atmospheric Research - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
- Response of cetaceans to anthropogenic noise in the Central and Western Pacific (Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center)
- Mapping ocean noise and cetacean density in the Santa Cruz Basin: a meso-scale operational test of a pelagic buoy-based recording system (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Combining passive- and active-acoustic sampling to assess the abundances of spawning croakers and the potential impacts of boat noise on their behaviors (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
2012
- Developing PAM for conserving fish species: Identifying spawning aggregations, understanding calling behavior and effects of anthropogenic sound on Atlantic cod calls (Northeast Fisheries Science Center)
- Development and testing of a pelagic buoy-based recording system for ocean noise measurement and passive acoustic monitoring (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Ship noise characterization on the North Atlantic right whale calving grounds (Southeast Fisheries Science Center)
- Passive acoustic ocean observing: marine mammals and anthropogenic sound in the High Arctic (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)
- Vessel sound exposure and effects on foraging in southern resident killer whales (Northwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Centralized database for marine mammal hearing data: National Auditory Evoked Potential (AEP) Database (NMFS HQ - Office of Protected Resources)
2011
- Applying the Ocean Observing System for large scale monitoring and noise mapping (Northeast Fisheries Science Center)
- Evaluation of large vessel impacts on large whale in response to new and emerging traffic patterns in the Santa Barbara Channel – the country’s second largest traffic corridor (Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary)
- Pinniped Acoustic Controlled Exposure Study: PACES (Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory)
- Characterizing local and regional ocean noise in the Central and Western Pacific (Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center)
- Vessel sound exposure & effects on foraging in Southern Resident killer whales (Northwest Fisheries Science Center)
- Cook Inlet and Bristol Bay beluga foraging behavior and exposure to anthropogenic noise (Alaska Fisheries Science Center)