Public Reports & Articles
A selection of JASCO’s technical reports that are accessible to the public. Some are stand-alone documents, and others are part of larger environmental assessment or project plan documents.
Magazine feature articles by JASCO team members are also included.
September 2023 — Canada
Client: Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and Transport Canada
JASCO has provided technical expertise to a collaborative project aimed at developing guidance for ship certification societies wishing to issue quiet ship notations. The guidance document was developed through a series of workshops attended by representatives from the following Classification Societies: American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, China Classification Society, DNV, Korean Register, Lloyd’s Register, Registro Italiano Navale. Also in attendance were members of the International Association of Classification Societies and the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO). The expertise and contributions of these representatives and members were instrumental for defining practical, consistent, and technically-sound methods for measuring and reporting underwater radiated noise from ships, suitable for assessing quiet notations.
An accompanying spreadsheet provides quartile levels of ship RNL measurements from VFPA’s ECHO Program database for several ship categories, that can be used to establish reasonable noise limits. The spreadsheet includes scaling parameters to account for different values of vessel speed through water.
July 2022 — Western Australia
Client: Woodside Energy
• Acoustic Modelling Phase 2 Report
In support of Woodside’s Supplement Report to the Draft Environment Impact Statement, JASCO performed two modelling studies of underwater noise related to Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) and Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) operations to determine ranges to acoustic exposure thresholds for marine mammals, turtles, and fish. The third study employed animal movement (animat) modelling simulations to predict the range at which pygmy blue whales could be expected to be exposed above threshold criteria for permanent threshold shift (PTS), temporary threshold shift (TTS) and behavioural response.
2021-2022 — Canada
Client: Transport Canada Innovation Centre
2022: Final Report on Transport Canada Innovation Centre Project MMP2
Measuring vessel source levels (SL) in a repeatable way is more difficult in shallow than in deep water. This field experiment evaluates several methods and confirms that obtaining repeatable vessel SL estimates in shallow water is possible and that the methods required are only moderately more complex than those codified for deep water.
A white paper that informed the experimental design for the 2022 report.
May 2022
In: ECO Magazine, Marine Mammals special issue
“JASCO Applied Sciences and Open Ocean Robotics are changing how we go down to the sea. … The combination of marine robots and intelligent underwater acoustic systems to protect ocean fauna is only in its infancy, yet it shows considerable promise to mitigate impact, reduce monitoring costs and keep humans out of harm’s way. OOR and JASCO are helping transform science-fiction into reality and are helping define the way marine mammal monitoring will be done in the future.”
Contributed by JASCO’s John Moloney and Open Ocean Robotics’ Julie Angus.
May 2022 — East Coast, United States
Client: Ørsted
Modelling of acoustic sources and sound propagation to estimate Level-A and Level-B take zones for expected UXO types that may be encountered along export cable routes during wind farm construction. This assessment considers acoustic effects to marine mammals, sea turtles, and fish from five possible charge sizes at sites with four water depths near Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project areas. The results are also relevant for sites with similar water depths at Ørsted’s Ocean Wind 1 project, Ørsted’s Sunrise Wind project, and possibly other wind farm sites with similar properties.
April 2022 — Outer Continental Shelf, United States
Client: Sunrise Wind LLC (Ørsted and Eversource)
JASCO modelled the potential underwater acoustic impacts resulting from pile driving for installing tapered monopiles, pin piles for jacket foundations, casing pipes, and goal post sheet piles for the construction of the 924 MW Sunrise Wind Farm and associated Export Cable. This underwater noise assessment estimates the number of marine mammals and sea turtles that may experience sound levels that exceed regulatory thresholds and calculates exposure ranges. For fish, ranges to regulatory sound thresholds for injury and behavioral disturbance were calculated.
March 2022 — Scotland
Client: Equinor Energy AS
Sound measurements and analysis for the world’s first floating offshore wind farm. Located in the North Sea off the east coast of Scotland, Hywind Scotland comprises five floating wind turbines, each sitting atop a spar buoy that is moored to the seabed. JASCO measured the underwater sound from one turbine for three months using a four-hydrophone tetrahedral array to allow bearing discrimination between sounds from different directions. The sound signature of the turbine was fully characterized, consisting mainly of low-frequency tonal noise associated with rotating rotor and generator components. In addition, the sources of more broadband transient mooring noises were localized.
March 2022 — Southeast Australia
Client: AECOM
Appendix A-1 – Baseline Monitoring of Ambient Underwater Noise Environment
Appendix A-2 – Underwater Noise Modelling
Appendix A-3 – Underwater Noise Impact Assessment
Three underwater noise studies that form part of the Environment Effects Statement for the Viva Energy Gas Terminal Project in southeastern Australia. The project will develop a gas terminal using a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) moored at Refinery Pier in Corio Bay, Geelong to facilitate supply of a new source of gas for the south-east Australian gas market where there is a projected supply shortfall in coming years.
January 2022 — California, United States
Client: Vancouver Fraser Port Authority ECHO Program
An assessment of the predictive fit of the vessel noise functional regression model developed by JASCO and ERM on an independent database of vessel noise levels measured in the Santa Barbara Channel. The regression model was developed using the ECHO source level database, which comprises thousands of vessel transits recorded in Haro Strait, Strait of Georgia, and Boundary Pass. The models were able to predict monopole source levels well on the vessel category level.
A collaboration with Scripps Machine Listening Lab and ERM Consultants Canada Ltd.
December 2021 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Transport Canada Innovation Centre
An analysis of 10 months of underwater sound recordings obtained by the Saturna Island Marine Research and Education Society at two locations in Boundary Pass. JASCO’s automated marine mammal detectors for killer whales, humpback whales, and Pacific white-sided dolphins were applied to the data. This study contributes important information on the occurrence of several species in the Boundary Pass for ongoing research required to investigate factors driving the distributions of marine mammals, specifically Southern Resident killer whales.
December 2021 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Transport Canada Innovation Centre
An analysis of underwater ambient noise levels from recordings previously collected at two locations in Boundary Pass over a three-year period to compare differences in the underwater soundscape before and after implementing the 2019 and 2020 Saturna Island Interim Sanctuary Zones. Vessel traffic was prohibited within the Zones to reduce acoustic and physical disturbance from vessels in Southern Resident killer whale foraging areas.
2021 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Port of Vancouver
Utilizing two years of data from three different, cabled inshore hydrophone stations in the Salish Sea, this high-level review, led by Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, aims to help understand and address key environmental and anthropogenic factors that contribute to ambient noise. Contributions from: the hydrophone system and ancillary equipment; rain, wind and tidal currents; factors affecting sound propagation; biological presence; and vessel traffic are considered in this study, and “best practice” recommendations for undertaking standardized long-term noise assessment are provided.
December 2021 — Newfoundland, Canada
Client: Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions
An acoustic monitoring study to measure the acoustic signature of the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Stena Forth, a dynamically-positioned ultradeep-water drillship, at the Pelles A-71 exploration well. The results are compared to modelled predictions. Baseline sound levels were measured as well as marine mammal presence and changes to the baseline resulting from the Pelles drilling program.
September 2021 — Northern Australia
Client: Woodside Energy Ltd.
Appendix I – Acoustic Modelling for Assessing Marine Fauna Sound Exposures
A numerical modelling study of underwater sound levels associated with the planned marine seismic survey to assist in understanding the potential acoustic impact on receptors including marine mammals, fish, sea turtles, and invertebrates. Three seismic airgun array sources were modelled conducting 2D and 3D surveys in the Bonaparte Basin, and three of JASCO’s sound propagation models were used in combination to characterise the acoustic fields at short and long ranges at frequencies between 5 Hz and 25 kHz.
August 2021 — Massachusetts, United States
Client: AECOM
As part of Mayflower Wind Energy’s Construction and Operations Plan, JASCO modeled the potential underwater acoustic effects resulting from piling scenarios for both monopile and jacket foundations that will be used in the construction of Mayflower Wind’s 2,400 MW offshore wind farm. JASCO’s Animal Simulation Model Including Noise Exposure (JASMINE) was used to predict sound exposure to potentially affected marine fauna, including marine mammals, sea turtles, and fish.
August 2021 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Transport Canada Innovation Centre
A modelling study to quantify monthly average vessel noise (Jun–Oct 2019) both with and without the implementation of Interim Sanctuary Zones around Saturna and Pender Islands to estimate their effectiveness in reducing vessel noise levels in Southern Resident killer whale foraging areas. Results from JASCO’s cumulative noise model show that the mitigation approach would result in a decrease of unweighted noise levels by, on average, 0.5 (±0.4) dB within the Saturna Island Interim Sanctuary Zone and 3.0 (±1.0) dB within the Pender Island Interim Sanctuary Zone.
August 2021 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Transport Canada Innovation Centre
A study of the occurrence of sonar sounds in acoustic data recorded in Georgia Strait and Boundary Pass up to October 2019. Sonars were detected in 1.3% of the vessel passages. The echosounders were downward-facing and highly directional, so their sounds were generally only audible for 2–5 minutes during a vessel passage. In contrast, the non-directional, continuous ultrasonic source (18–26 kHz) was audible 4–6 km from the vessel. High-frequency cetaceans within 1 km of such a vessel are likely to experience temporary hearing threshold shifts, and Southern Resident killer whales have greatly reduced echolocation ranges for 15–20 minutes during the vessel passage. A key recommendation: identify this continuous ultrasonic source and prohibit its use in Canadian waters.
August 2021 — Nunavut, Canada
Client: Golder Associates, Ltd.
JASCO recorded underwater sound at two locations along a shipping route associated with Baffinland Iron Mine’s Mary River Mine on Baffin Island to measure noise levels from the icebreaker MSV Botnica. Noise was analyzed for 17 one-way transits, including those in open-water and in ice-covered conditions with ice concentrations between 0/10 and 9/10. For each transit, two standard metrics of vessel noise emissions were determined—underwater radiated noise levels and monopole source levels—as well as the distance at which sound levels exceeded the threshold for marine mammal behavioural disturbance from shipping.
July 2021
Featured in: Sea Technology magazine
The Salish Sea sees more than 12,000 large merchant ship transits and over 300,000 ferry crossings. These busy waters are also home to over 37 species of marine mammals, including the endangered Southern Resident killer whale. JASCO was contracted by Transport Canada to develop, deploy and operate a $9.5 million cabled observatory, with 3 main goals: (1) systematically measure underwater noise emissions of the large commercial vessels calling ports in southern BC; (2) detect and localize/track vocalizing cetaceans; and (3) document the underwater noise environment over many years.
Contributed by JASCO’s Nicole Chorney, Jack Hennessey, and David Hannay.
June 2021 — Southern Australia
Client: Beach Energy Ltd
Appendix 7 – Sound Transmission Loss Modelling Report (Updated)
Appendix 8 – Beach Otway Development Acoustic Monitoring
Underwater sound monitoring and acoustic characterisation of drilling activities by the Ocean Onyx Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) and of associated support vessels at the offshore natural gas fields of the Otway Basin. Four AMARs in C-Lander moorings were deployed at increasing distances from the MODU. The results were compared against the previously modelled sound field predictions from the draft Environment Plan. The findings provided a better understanding of the propagation loss environment, enabling a recalculation/update of the modelled scenarios to provide more accurate distances to acoustic thresholds for impacts to marine mammals.
May 2021 —Newfoundland, Canada
Client: Wood PLC
Acoustic monitoring and analysis providing soundscape characterization, marine mammal occurrence, and potential effects of underwater noise emissions on cetaceans as part of the overall environmental effects monitoring program. Characterizes the sounds produced by a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) and provides insight into the effects on marine life including auditory injury as well as possible displacement and masking of communications.
2018-Present — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Port of Vancouver
2021: Year 2 Report (October 2019 to December 2020)
2020: Year 1 Report (October 2018 to October 2019)
Analysis of the large underwater acoustic data set acquired by the Boundary Pass Underwater Listening Station (ULS), deployed by JASCO in southern British Columbia. In June 2020, the two cabled underwater hydrophone arrays replaced autonomous AMARs deployed since October 2018.
Funded by the Port of Vancouver’s ECHO Program.
May 2021
Featured in: ON&T magazine (Ocean News & Technology)
“The construction and operation of offshore wind farms carries regulatory requirements for acoustic monitoring of both noise emissions from the activity and marine mammals’ vocalizations. The latter reveal the presence of animals that could be at risk from noise exposure or collision with service ships. Such requirements call for innovative monitoring technologies capable of rapid deployment, efficient relocation, and wide area coverage. Autonomous marine vehicles equipped with advanced acoustic receptors, on-board processing, and long-range telemetry are the clear future of this sector. Viable carrier designs include underwater, surface, and even airborne vehicles with water landing capacity; any of these can deploy a single or several hydrophones to sample sound levels in the water.”
Contributed by JASCO’s Roberto Racca.
April 2021 — New Zealand
Client: Fisheries New Zealand
A feasibility assessment and desktop design of a passive acoustic monitoring system to detect and track the location of Hector’s dolphins to determine if they are interacting with bottom trawl fishing nets. Using theoretical simulations, the study examines different array and localisation tracking concepts, possible detection ranges, and installation locations for hydrophones. Recommendations are made for pursuing field trials to obtain baseline data in advance of testing various acoustic mitigation measures, including dolphin deterrent devices, to reduce entanglement risks to dolphins.
February 2021 — Newfoundland and Labrador
An Environmental Studies Research Fund project
Part of ESRF Project 2014-01S, this DFO-led report examines effects of seismic exploration on snow crab catch rates, movement, physiology, and genomic response, to address concerns by snow crab harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador. Field experiments were conducted over four consecutive summers in areas affected by seismic surveying and unaffected areas as a control, in offshore commercial snow crab fishing grounds. The study concludes that, based on factors considered by the experiments, impacts of seismic surveying on commercial snow crab are within the range of natural variability. The results are being used to provide science-based management advice to regulators, interested and affected industries, and the public.
January 2021 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Port of Vancouver
Phase 2 Report (January 2021)
Phase 1 Report (May 2020)
A two-part study for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority ECHO Program analyzing the statistical correlations between vessel design characteristics and underwater radiated noise levels, to determine design or operational characteristics that may be correlated with louder or quieter sound levels.
Phase 1 of the study analyzed data collected from Haro Strait and the Strait of Georgia between 2015-2018. Phase 2 expanded to include: data collected by JASCO’s Boundary Pass Underwater Listening Station from 2018-2020; more detailed ship characteristics for a subset of vessels; and analysis of the variability in underwater radiated noise levels for repeat passes of the same ship.
A collaboration with ERM and Acentech.
2014-2021 — British Columbia, Canada
Clients: Port of Vancouver, Hemmera, Ecofish Research Ltd.
2021: Underwater Noise Modelling of RBT2 Construction to Inform Mitigation
2019: Mercator Projections Underwater Noise Modelling Update
2014:
• Ambient Underwater Noise Measurements Report
• Ship Sound Signature Analysis Study Report
• Construction Activities and Terminal Vessel Operations Noise Modelling Study Report
Measurement, analysis, and modelling studies to understand existing conditions at Roberts Bank and to assess project-related underwater noise effects as part of the environmental assessment for the construction of an additional container terminal in Delta, BC.
2018-2020 — Outer Continental Shelf, United States
Client: University of New Hampshire
2020:
• Project Dictionary: Terminology Standard
• Data Processing Specification
2018:
• Underwater Soundscape and Modeling Metadata Standard
• Calibration and Deployment Good Practice Guide
• Hardware Specification
A 3-year collaboration with UNH on an observatory network that generated multi-year, multi-sensor measurements of the ecology and soundscape of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Long-term observations of living marine resources and marine sound will assist federal agencies (BOEM, ONR, NOAA, etc.), in complying with mandates in the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA). Outputs include standardized tools for comparing soundscapes across regions and predictive models for the soundscape and overall ecology of the southeast OCS.
2017-2020 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Port of Vancouver
2020: Appendix A – Hydroacoustic Studies (with SMRU Consulting)
2019:
• Appendix B – Hydroacoustic Studies
• Appendix C.2 – Land-Based Cetacean Observations
2018: Appendix B – Vessel Noise Modelling
2017:
• Appendix A – Vessel Noise Measurements
• Appendix D – Vessel Noise Modelling
Measurement and modelling studies for Vancouver Fraser Port Authority for their Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program’s slowdown trials that investigate to what extent limiting vessel speeds decreases noise in Southern Resident Killer Whale habitat.
November 2020 — Nova Scotia, Canada
Client: Offshore Energy Research Association of NS
A monitoring and analysis program to advance our ability to perform and interpret passive acoustic monitoring for Environmental Effects Monitoring Plans (EEMPs) for marine tidal turbines. This study answers fundamental research questions that are not addressed by project specific EEMPs, including acoustic propagation effects and turbine audibility in environments with high tidal currents. Monitoring spanned a full 28-day tidal cycle and included an acoustic projector to study high-frequency propagation loss.
A collaboration with Dalhousie University.
November 2020
In: ECO Magazine, Deep Sea special issue
“Life in the depths is adapted to wholly different conditions than exist near the surface, with increasingly high static pressure and decreasing or no light. Here, animals create their own light through bioluminescence. What of their hearing abilities? To understand how deep-sea animals perceive their environment, a group of Australian experts joined an international research expedition in the Indian Ocean. The question was whether deep-sea fish have a keener sense of hearing compared to their shallow-water counterparts.”
Contributed by JASCO’s Roberto Racca and Klaus Lucke.
September 2020 — Norway
Client: Equinor ASA
An analysis of underwater acoustic data measured at the Johan Castberg oil field in the southern Barents Sea at three locations from October 2018 until June 2019 to assess the presence of marine mammals and characterize the underwater soundscape. Five marine mammal species were detected during the study: fin, humpback, killer, sperm whales and a dolphin species whose signals were tentatively attributed to white-beaked dolphins. Because of the limited human activity recorded in the study area, the results provide a good baseline against which to assess the occurrence of marine mammals in the study area in the future.
September 2020
In: ECO Magazine, Polar special issue
“From 2006 to 2015, several oil and gas companies performed exploratory campaigns … in the northeastern Chukchi Sea. Some of these companies funded multidisciplinary long-term environmental projects to collect ecological baseline measurements and inform regulatory permit applications. The Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program (CSESP), the largest of these multi-year studies, included a large passive acoustic monitoring component. Led by JASCO Applied Sciences, the acoustic element of the program enabled scientists to describe how vocal marine mammals use the northeastern Chukchi Sea throughout the seasons, and to characterize the natural and human-made soundscape of the area.”
Contributed by JASCO’s Roberto Racca and David Hannay.
July 2020 — Newfoundland, Canada
Client: Equinor Canada
Modelling and analysis studies for Equinor as part of their EIA for the proposed Bay du Nord Development Project, a floating offshore oil and gas production facility, 500 km east of Newfoundland. Modelled sources include an airgun array for seismic surveys, sub-bottom profiler and multibeam sonar for geohazard surveys, drillship, and the floating production, storage, and offloading facility. The analysis of four summers of acoustic recordings characterized the baseline soundscape, the presence of marine mammals, and the effects on the soundscape of Equinor’s 2014–2016 drilling program.
June 2020
In: ECO Magazine, Coral Reefs special issue
“The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the near shut-down of international tourism and the imposition of port closures and transit restrictions, significantly decreasing the volume of global ocean-going vessel traffic. A 2017 Caribbean coral reef acoustic monitoring study that serendipitously coincided with Tropical Storm Franklin could provide some early insight on the quieter soundscape that coral reef inhabitants are currently experiencing.”
Contributed by JASCO’s Cynthia Pyć, Klaus Lucke, and Roberto Racca.
February 2020 — Western Australia
Client: MBS Environmental
A modelling study of underwater sound levels associated with the Subsea 7 Learmonth Pipeline Fabrication Facility, specifically vessel noise associated with launching and towing pipeline bundles for the offshore oil and gas industry. The study assessed distances from operations where underwater sound levels reached thresholds corresponding to various levels of potential impact to marine fauna including marine mammals, turtles, and fish (including fish eggs and larvae).
February 2020 — Atlantic Coast, United States
Client: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
A modelling and analysis study to facilitate improved risk prediction of underwater noise impacts of offshore wind development involving pile driving. It recommends the most efficient acoustic models and ranks the most influential environmental parameters at two representative sites off the United States Atlantic Coast. Co-authored by Michael Ainslie.
December 2019 — Western Australia
Client: Santos WA Energy Ltd.
Appendix H - Acoustic Modelling for Assessing Marine Fauna Sound Exposures
Source and propagation modelling of underwater sound associated with a planned 3-D marine seismic survey to assess potential acoustic impacts on marine mammals, fish, turtles, benthic invertebrates, sponges, coral, and plankton as part of Santos Ltd’s Environment Plan. Single-impulse sound fields were predicted at eight sites, and accumulated sound exposure fields were predicted for two representative scenarios for likely survey operations over 24 hours.
December 2019 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Port of Vancouver
Analysis for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s ECHO Program identifying and evaluating the primary factors affecting ambient noise measured by three underwater recorders deployed in the Salish Sea for two years. To evaluate the efficacy of vessel noise mitigation efforts, other influencing factors must be accounted for, including large ship and small boat traffic, water currents and temperature, weather, and biologics.
November 2019 — Western Australia
Clients: Jacobs, Woodside Energy
Addendum: Additional Information
Acoustic propagation and animal exposure modelling for Jacobs on behalf of Woodside Energy to assess potential sound exposures to marine mammals, turtles, and fish from proposed operations including FPSO anchor pile installation, vertical seismic profiling, and vessel operations. Ranges to acoustic exposure thresholds of marine fauna were predicted. The addendum includes additional modelling scenarios and calculations of areas within relevant exposure threshold isopleths.
October 2019 — Virginia, United States
Client: Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture
An acoustic measurement study to determine the underwater sound levels produced by DTH (down-the-hole) hammering, a new technology for creating casings for installing dock piles. Measurements were obtained with three bottom-mounted flow-shielded moorings at Thimble Shoal along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in Virginia. The sound footprint was determined for DTH hammering, both with and without bubble curtain mitigation, and compared to regulatory thresholds for onsets of behavioural disturbance and injury to marine mammals. The results suggest that only behavioural disturbance is possible.
2018-2019 — Nova Scotia, Canada
Clients: Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE), Cape Sharp Tidal
2018: Acoustic Analysis of OpenHydro Open-Centre Turbine at FORCE
Measurement and analysis studies for the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy and Cape Sharp Tidal in support of Environmental Effects Monitoring Plans required under their Environmental Assessment Approval. In 2018 JASCO conducted a challenging measurement study of underwater noise from the OpenHydro in-stream tidal turbine demonstration project in Minas Passage, home of the world’s highest tides. The results show that at most frequencies the turbine had a lower source level than vessels typical of the area. The 2019 study compares the noise levels at different measurement locations and further analyzes how the turbine contributed to the soundscape.
July 2019
In: ECO Magazine, Ocean Sound special issue
“The science and technology of monitoring underwater noise grows more capable by the day, but so grow the threats on the aquatic environment related to noise from human activities. We have a finite window in which to apply our increasing knowledge of the problem to addressing and mitigating its causes.”
Contributed by Roberto Racca, JASCO’s Chief Communications Officer.
June 2019 — Northwest New Zealand
Client: Fisheries New Zealand
A modelling study to assess noise related to vessel traffic and seismic surveys off the West Coast North Island of New Zealand over a 343 × 780 km area. Sound levels were estimated at locations potentially occupied by Maui dolphins, revealing the contributions from sources such as seismic surveys, vessels, jackup platforms, and FPSOs. Recommendations for future work, including long-term noise monitoring in habitat areas and efforts to better understand the hearing capabilities of Maui dolphins, are described.
June 2019 — Western Australia
Client: Advisian
A modelling study of underwater sound levels in Mermaid Sound associated with proposed development of the Scarborough Project Nearshore Component at the Pluto LNG field to assist in understanding the potential acoustic impact on key regional receptors including marine mammals, fish, and turtles. The study considered the driving of subsea piles which may be required to assist with pipelay operations close to the Pluto LNG facility, inside Mermaid Sound, and compared the sound levels against multiple effects criteria.
May 2019 — Nunavut, Canada
Clients: Golder Associates Ltd, Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation
Five recorders, deployed north of the 72nd parallel in Milne Inlet, measured sound levels for 8 weeks from shipping activities associated with the Mary River mine site in northern Baffin Island. The underwater soundscape and its noise contributors were analyzed and quantified, and acoustic presence was determined for narwhals, killer whales, and ringed seals.
May 2019 — Rhode Island, United States
Clients: Jacobs Engineering Group, Deepwater Wind
Appendix J1 – Acoustic Assessment Report—Underwater (Updated February 2021)
Modelling study of underwater construction noise as part of Deepwater Wind’s Construction and Operations Plan to initiate environmental review of the construction and operation of the South Fork Wind Farm offshore Rhode Island. Acoustic fields were modelled for the sound sources associated with construction of the 15 turbines and export cable, namely impact and vibratory pile driving and thrusters of dynamically-positioned vessels. Ranges to acoustic impact thresholds for cetaceans, sea turtles, and fish were predicted.
May 2019 — Southern Australia
Client: Lattice Energy
Appendix D – Technical Note: Supplemental modelling results
An acoustic modelling study for Lattice Energy as part of their environmental plan for proposed geophysical and geotechnical seabed assessments, which will inform the future drilling of offshore subsea gas wells, in the Otway Basin on Australia’s south coast. Underwater sounds from a boomer, a sub-bottom profiler, and a 450 in³ vertical seismic profiler were each modelled at up to 6 sites to assess potential impacts on benthic invertebrates, fish, marine mammals, and turtles.
March 2019 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Transport Canada Innovation Centre
An analysis using the ECHO Ship Noise Database to assess the conservativeness of five vessel noise certification societies. A multi-variate linear regression analysis of the database produced a powerful vessel noise model for predicting ship noise based on ship type and operating conditions. A final study examined noise savings that could be achieved if 90% of vessels conformed with thresholds based on median noise emission levels of ECHO measurements.
March 2019 — New Zealand
Client: New Zealand Department of Conservation
A literature review focussing on knowns and unknowns of potential impacts, to inform updates to New Zealand’s Threat Management Plan for Hector’s and Māui dolphins. A collaborative effort with Cawthron Institute (New Zealand) and Ocean Science Consulting NZ (Asia-Pacific) Limited.
March 2019 — Nova Scotia, Canada
Client: BP Canada Energy Group
An acoustic monitoring study during exploratory drilling on the Scotian Shelf with the mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) West Aquarius. Three recorders were deployed for 5 months to:
(1) Characterize how underwater sound levels vary with distance from the drilling activity,
(2) identify natural and other anthropogenic sound events that may have been present during this monitoring period, and
(3) compare the received sound levels with pre-operations model predictions.
February 2019 — Western Australia
Client: INPEX Operations Australia
Acoustic Modelling for Assessing Marine Fauna Sound Exposures
A numerical modelling study of underwater sound levels associated with the planned INPEX Western Australia (WA) 2-D Marine Seismic Survey (MSS) to understand the potential acoustic impact on key regional receptors including fish, marine mammals, turtles, benthic invertebrates (including pearl oysters), and plankton.
February 2019 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Port of Vancouver
A measurement study for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program to advance the understanding of noise levels from whale watching boats and small vessels transiting in SRKW critical habitat, and how they vary with speed.
December 2018 — Nova Scotia, Canada
Client: Offshore Energy Research Association of NS
This project successfully tested and trialed a real-time drifting acoustic measurement system using a directional hydrophone sensor. The performance of the PV/PA compared favourably with a traditional hydrophone drifter but added the capability to discriminate the arrival direction of the received sounds.
December 2018 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Port of Vancouver
Appendix A.1 – Monthly Ambient Noise Reports for Sep 2015 to Apr 2018 (p30)
Appendix A.2 – Monthly Marine Mammal Detection Reports for Sep 2015 to Apr 2018 (p421)
Part of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) program. Monthly reporting of ambient noise conditions and marine mammal presence over the 2.5 years of operation of the real-time underwater listening station. These results contribute to the ECHO program’s efforts to manage the effects of shipping activities on at-risk whales on the BC south coast.
December 2018 — Atlantic Canada
An Environmental Studies Research Fund project
Part of ESRF Project 2014-02S, providing new results to inform future environmental assessments of human activities on Canada’s East Coast. Sound propagation from a seismic survey was modelled at 20 sites. The sites span nearly 15° of latitude along the Atlantic coast, including both areas of potential oil and gas development and less-sampled areas important to marine mammals. Sound propagation at the sites was modelled twice, first assuming a generic sandy seabed and then (at 14 of the sites) using estimated local seabed properties. Comparing the models showed that knowing the local bottom properties could lead to better predictions of sounds emanating from seismic surveys and their impacts on marine mammals.
November 2018 — Southern Australia
Client: PGS Australia
Appendix B – Acoustic Modelling for Assessing Marine Fauna Sound Exposures for a 3260 in³ array
Sound modelling study to assess underwater noise levels during the proposed Duntroon Multi-Client Marine Seismic Survey in the Great Australian Bight, which received environmental approval in January 2019. Four types of acoustic propagation models were used in combination to characterize the sound fields from the proposed 3-D seismic survey at both short and long ranges. The sound propagation was modelled at 16 sites, and the potential impacts on marine fauna were predicted for cetaceans, pinnipeds, turtles, fish, and invertebrates using a variety of sound level metrics and impact criteria.
October 2018 — Massachusetts, United States
Client: Vineyard Wind, LLC
In 2017, JASCO performed an acoustic impact assessment for Vineyard Wind as part of their Construction and Operations Plan submitted to BOEM. In 2018, this supplemental document addressed BOEM’s request for further information on impact producing factors (IPFs) of the Project. JASCO modelled the sound fields from proposed piling activities and estimated the ranges to various sound level isopleths. The sound fields were then combined with JASCO’s JASMINE animal simulation model to estimate potential exposure levels for marine species.
October 2018 — Western Australia
Client: Rio Tinto
A detailed review of the literature and international regulations and guidelines on impact assessment for pile driving noise for Rio Tinto’s Cape Lambert Port A Marine Structures Refurbishment Project. Includes a review of marine fauna present in the area and summarizes new or updated regulations and guidance relating to pile driving and other relevant noise sources since 2011 from jurisdictions in Australia, North America, and Europe.
A collaborative report with ERM.
September 2018 — Newfoundland, Canada
Clients: Stantec, BP Canada Energy Group
Appendix C – Underwater Sound Assessment for Newfoundland Orphan Basin Exploration Drilling Program
An acoustic assessment as part of the Environmental Impact Statement for proposed exploration drilling in Orphan Basin. JASCO’s assessment reviews existing assessments of similar projects in the area, estimates sound source spectra for the planned activities based on previous studies, describes the acoustic environment and transmission loss and compares them to assessments of two previous drilling projects, and describes ambient sound levels and the various soundscape contributors from previously measured data.
September 2018 — Norway
An Environmental Studies Research Fund project
A detailed analysis of particle motion and hydrophone datasets from an airgun in a deep fjord in Norway. JASCO used the hydrophone measurements to derive corrections for the sensitivities and positions of the nearby M20s, a new type of particle motion sensor. The corrected measurements were then used to validate the pressure and particle acceleration predictions for single airguns of JASCO's Airgun Array Source Model. Part of ESRF Project 2014-02S, providing new results to inform future environmental assessments of human activities on Canada’s East Coast.
July 2018 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Transport Canada
A large and comprehensive modelling study for Transport Canada’s Innovation Centre to investigate options for managing and reducing vessel noise exposures to marine fauna, including the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale. The study examined underwater shipping noise levels in the Salish Sea, in key areas of critical habitat for SRKW, and investigated the effectiveness of several possible noise mitigation approaches, including slow down zones, no-go periods, and rerouting shipping lanes.
June 2018 — Atlantic Canada
An Environmental Studies Research Fund project
This 2-year acoustic measurement study involved 20 recorders, spanning nearly 15° of latitude along the Atlantic coast, and included both areas of potential oil and gas development and less-sampled areas important to marine mammals. The underwater soundscape and its biological (marine mammal), anthropogenic (seismic surveys, oil and gas production activities and shipping), and environmental contributors were quantified. Part of ESRF Project 2014-02S, providing new results to inform future environmental assessments of human activities on Canada’s East Coast.
March 2018 — Newfoundland, Canada
Clients: AMEC Foster Wheeler, Nexen Energy
Appendix E – Underwater Sound Propagation Assessment
A modelling study as part of the Environmental Impact Statement for Nexen Energy’s 11-year exploration drilling program off eastern Newfoundland. Distances to marine mammal impact thresholds were estimated for planned operations of a Vertical Seismic Profiler (VSP) airgun array and a semi-submersible platform with a supply vessel alongside. The sources were modelled at both shallow and deep locations within the Exploration Licenses.
March 2018 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Hatfield Consultants
Appendix 18.18 – Underwater Acoustic Modelling Report
Predictive modelling of underwater noise from pile driving to inform the environmental impact assessment for the construction of a four-lane bridge across the Fraser River to connect the cities of Surrey and New Westminster, British Columbia. Pile driving noise is transmitted from the pipe pile through river sediments and sheet pile wall, and into the water. Sound levels and ranges to acoustic thresholds in water that may result in injury to valued ecosystem components such as fish (e.g. sturgeon and Pacific salmon) were reported.
March 2018 — Northern Territory, Australia
Clients: Jacobs, ConocoPhillips Australia
Appendix E – Underwater noise monitoring survey (90 p)
Appendix N – Underwater noise modelling – Facility anchor piling (59 p)
Appendix O – Underwater noise modelling – Facility operations (43 p)
Acoustic monitoring and modelling studies for Jacobs as part of ConocoPhillips Australia’s Offshore Project Proposal. The 12-month long monitoring study characterized the acoustic environment at and surrounding the Barossa LNG field using three seabed recorders. The two modelling studies predicted underwater sound levels associated with the construction and operation of the proposed FPSO facility and the potential impacts on marine fauna.
Spring 2018
In: Acoustics Today
An article exploring how “listening to underwater soundscapes helps us understand how ocean physics and the biology of marine communities are responding to a dynamically changing ocean”.
Co-authored by Bruce Martin, JASCO’s Applied Sciences Manager.
2015-2018 — Gulf of Mexico, United States
Clients: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), International Association of Geophysical Contractors, American Petroleum Institute
Acoustic Propagation and Marine Mammal Exposure Modeling Report (2015, 385 p) plus Addendum (2017, 6 p)
Cumulative and Chronic Effects Report (2015, 50 p) plus Addendum (2017, 12 p)
Acoustic Exposure Model Variable Analysis (2017, 171 p)
Comprehensive modelling studies to estimate acoustic exposure of protected species, estimate reduction of listening area and communication space due to seismic activities, and determine the influence and importance of modelling parameters on model outcomes. In support of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for geological and geophysical activities in the Gulf of Mexico.
December 2017 — Newfoundland, Canada
Clients: Stantec, Statoil Canada
Qualitative Assessment of Radiated Sound Levels and Acoustic Propagation Conditions (32 p)
Predictions of underwater sound levels from drill rigs (semisubmersibles and drill ships), dynamic positioning (DP) systems, support vessels, and a vertical seismic profiler (VSP) for two exploration drilling programs.
Marine Mammals and Ambient Sound Sources: Analysis from 2014 and 2015 Acoustic Recordings (56 p)
Acoustic recordings were acquired in Flemish Pass and analyzed to characterize the baseline soundscape, the presence of marine mammals, and the soundscape during Statoil’s 2014-2016 drilling program.
August 2017 — Queensland, Australia
Client: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
A discussion and options paper for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority of the Australian Government to inform the process of developing a guideline for considering and managing the impacts of anthropogenic underwater noise on the Great Barrier Reef’s marine fauna.
July 2017 — Alaska, United States
Client: Alaska Department of Transportation
A modelling study of vibratory and impact pile driving at four locations in Southeast Alaska (Auke Bay, Kake, Ketchikan, and Kodiak ferry terminals). The model results were validated against empirical measurements at the same sites, during ferry terminal improvement construction projects in 2015 and 2016.
June 2017 — Ontario, Canada
Clients: Golder Associates Ltd., City of Kingston
Appendix M – In-Air Noise Impact Assessment Report for Birds and Reptiles
Appendix N – Underwater Noise Modelling of Impact Pile Driving
In-air and underwater noise modelling studies for Golder Associates Ltd. on behalf of the City of Kingston in preparation for bridge construction. The in-air study assessed the potential impacts on birds and reptiles from traffic noise and pile driving noise, which considered pile driving equipment characteristics, land elevation, atmospheric data, and ground type. The underwater study assessed potential impacts of pile driving noise on fish, turtles, fish eggs, and fish larvae and considered effects of pile driving equipment characteristics, bathymetry, water sound speed, and riverbed sediment composition.
May 2017 — British Columbia, Canada
Part of the Coastal Ocean Report Series, which “presents scientific summaries and practical recommendations to decision-makers, stakeholders, and the public based on the best available science. The Reports represent the work of experts from different disciplines, locations, and affiliations who come together in an atmosphere of cooperation and reason to focus on a specific topic or geographic area for a limited amount of time.”
“Experts were convened by the Coastal Ocean Research Institute (CORI) in Vancouver, Canada. CORI was established by Ocean Wise to produce and communicate scientific knowledge and understanding in service of protecting aquatic life and habitats, informing responsible human activity, and safeguarding communities.”
Authors include JASCO’s David Hannay, Chief Science Officer, and Harald Yurk, Behavioural Ecologist and Bioacoustician.
April 2017 — Nova Scotia, Canada
Client: Shell Canada
A sound source characterization study for Shell Canada to comply with regulatory conditions issued under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act for exploratory drilling 250 km off the coast of Nova Scotia. JASCO measured and analyzed underwater sound from support vessels and the Stena IceMAX, including mechanical and vibration sound, thruster cavitation from dynamic positioning, and direct drilling sound, to verify the noise levels predicted during the environmental assessment. Results from opportunistic measurements are also provided, which were captured by another JASCO recorder that happened to be deployed nearby for an unrelated project.
January 2017 — British Columbia, Canada
Client: Port of Vancouver
A modelling study for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) program to better understand the contributions of various vessel types to underwater noise throughout the Salish Sea, which is important habitat for marine mammals including endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Updates to JASCO’s existing regional ocean noise contributors model based on Automated Identification System (AIS) data yielded cumulative noise maps for various sub-regions of the Salish Sea. The ECHO program is using the study results to inform management efforts and develop vessel noise reduction solutions appropriate to the vessel types and sub-regions.
December 2016 — Alaska, United States
Client: Alaska Department of Transportation
Acoustic monitoring and analysis to characterize underwater noise from pile driving activities to inform the assessment of the potential impacts on marine mammals. JASCO measured underwater sounds at the Kake, Auke Bay, Kodiak, and Ketchikan ferry terminals during ferry terminal improvement construction projects and characterized sound levels associated with pile extraction, vibratory pile driving, impact hammer pile driving, and rock socket drilling. Distances from the piles to sound threshold criteria for injury and behavioral disturbance were calculated, accounting for the hearing sensitivity of marine mammal groups where appropriate.
October 2016 — British Columbia, Canada
Clients: Stantec, Nexen Energy
Appendix O – Acoustic Monitoring Study Chatham Sound Region
Appendix P – Acoustic Modelling Study
Monitoring and modelling studies for Stantec and Nexen Energy as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed Aurora liquefied natural gas plant, export facility, and associated marine terminal near Prince Rupert, BC. JASCO captured and analyzed data from two underwater acoustic recorders to document baseline noise conditions near the proposed project site. Sound propagation models were applied to predict the extent of ensonification from various scenarios and define zones of potential effects on marine fauna. Scenarios included impact pile driving with confined bubble curtain and rock socket drilling for pile installation, as well as noise exposure from marine traffic activities of LNG carrier berthing and transiting.
August 2016 — Alaska, United States
Client: Kiewit Infrastructure West Co.
A sound measurement study that quantified the underwater sound pressure levels during ambient conditions and during vibratory and impact pile driving. The data were analyzed to characterize the sound transmission loss and verify distances to marine mammal disturbance thresholds. The effectiveness of two noise attenuation systems was assessed in terms of how much they reduced the pile driving sound levels near the source and the distances to the marine mammal disturbance thresholds.
2009–2016 — Alaska, United States
Client: Olgoonik/Fairweather LLC
Northeastern Chukchi Sea Joint Acoustic Monitoring Program reports:
2014-2015 Report and Appendices
2013-2014 Report and Appendices
2012-2013 Report and Appendices
2009-2010 Report and Appendices
Each year, JASCO worked with Olgoonik/ Fairweather LLC to deploy dozens of AMARs to record underwater sound in a wide area of the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska. Jointly funded by ConocoPhillips, Shell Exploration & Production, and Statoil USA Exploration and Production, the yearly monitoring programs included clusters of recorders around well sites in summer and four lines of over-winter recorders that extended up to 250 km from the Alaskan north shore. This massive multi-year program greatly contributed to our scientific knowledge of marine mammals in the area.
August 2015 — British Columbia, Canada
Clients: WorleyParsons Canada, Rio Tinto
Appendix 1 – Revised Underwater Acoustic Assessment [to include bubble curtain mitigation]
Appendix 2 – Underwater Acoustic Assessment of Marine Terminal Construction
Modelling studies that combine the results from two individually assessed projects that will occur concurrently in the Kitimat area: Rio Tinto Alcan marine terminal facilities for LNG export and LNG Canada’s marine terminal expansions. The reports assess the effects of vibratory and impact pile driving from the combined activities on marine fauna, including humpback whales, killer whales, and harbour porpoise.
December 2014 — British Columbia, Canada
Clients: Stantec, Pacific NorthWest LNG
Underwater noise modelling study o predict the expected noise emissions and zones of potential disturbance to marine fauna from construction and operation of Pacific NorthWest LNG’s proposed terminal near Prince Rupert, B.C. Results include maps of areas ensonified above thresholds recognized by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and above non-regulatory avoidance criteria reported for Northern Resident killer whales. Five locations were modelled for scenarios including LNG carrier berthing with support tugs impact and vibratory pile driving. Pile driving scenarios were modelled with and without a bubble curtain to assess the effectiveness of this mitigation measure.
October 2014 — British Columbia, Canada
Clients: Stantec, LNG Canada
Appendix F – LNG Canada Underwater Noise Studies: Field Measurements Report (p63)
Appendix G – Underwater Acoustic Modelling of Marine Terminal Construction and Vessel Activities (p135)
Acoustic measurement and modelling studies for Stantec as part of LNG Canada’s application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate for their LNG Canada Export Terminal project near Kitimat, BC, which was granted in June 2015. The measurement study comprised four underwater recorders deployed for four months and characterized the ambient noise conditions, vessel traffic, and presence of humpback, killer, and fin whales. The modelling study comprised eight scenarios to predict underwater noise emissions from terminal construction and vessels, including LNG carriers.
November 2013 — Turkey
Client: South Stream Transport B.V.
An acoustic propagation modelling study to estimate noise effects on marine mammals and fish during construction of the South Stream natural gas pipeline at the bottom of the Black Sea. Results from 11 modelled scenarios include instantaneous sound exposure from individual vessels, aggregate instantaneous sound exposure from a group of vessels, and cumulative sound exposure for 24 hours of typical operation.
September 2013 — California, United States
Client: CSA Ocean Sciences
An acoustic modeling study to estimate source levels, beam configuration, and sound exposure levels from low energy geophysical equipment including single- and multi-beam echosounder, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, and boomer. The findings will be used for preliminary assessment of the acoustic impact of geophysical surveys planned in the coastal waters of the State of California.
July 2012 — New York, United States
Client: AECOM
Appendix F-4A – Hydroacoustic Noise Modeling
Appendix F-4B – Hydroacoustic Noise Modeling – Appendices
Appendix F-5A – Underwater Acoustic Monitoring of Pile Installation Demonstration Project
Modelling and monitoring of sounds from vibratory and impact pile driving in support of New York State Thruway Authority’s Environmental Impact Statement for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project, which received approval in March 2013. During the initial demonstration project, JASCO evaluated the effectiveness of five noise attenuation systems in lessening the impact of pile driving noise on Atlantic sturgeon, a species in recovery in the Hudson River.
June 2012 — Newfoundland, Canada
Client: Husky Energy
Underwater Sound Propagation Assessment
An underwater sound propagation assessment to estimate distances to sound level thresholds around potential acoustic sources resulting from various phases of the White Rose Extension Project: construction of concrete gravity structure (CGS) at Argentia involving dredging and blasting; transportation of the CGS to the field site at Grand Banks involving dredging, drilling, support vessel, and helicopter operations; and drilling from a wellhead platform or subsea drill centre.
December 2011 — Norway
Client: Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil)
Determining the underwater acoustic signature of a HYWIND Tampen floating wind turbine compared to the ambient background noise at a control site 10 km away. JASCO performed 150 days of monitoring and subsequent analysis to discern noise sources associated with the test turbine installation and its mooring structures.
December 2009 — Oregon, United States
Client: Oregon Wave Energy Trust
A review study to: (1) provide a concise knowledge base of expected underwater noise conditions near the Oregon coast where wave energy projects could be developed, and (2) describe noise measurement methodologies suitable for effective regulatory assessment of potential acoustic impacts. Intended as a reference for wave energy developers to use when selecting approaches to underwater noise measurement that would be acceptable to regulatory bodies, consistent with the state of the industry, and cost effective to implement.
March 2009 — British Columbia, Canada
Clients: Hemmera, NaiKun
Vol 4, Sec 4 & 5 – Airborne Noise Modelling
Vol 4, Sec 8 & 9 – Underwater Noise Modelling
Both airborne and underwater noise modelling of sounds associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of the proposed Naikun offshore wind energy project in Hecate Strait. Airborne noise levels and underwater noise footprints were predicted for sources with the greatest potential for disturbance, including impact pile driving of the turbine foundations, construction activities at cable land fall areas, and operating wind turbines. A background literature review was performed to investigate wind farm related noise sources, mitigation options, and documented assessments from other wind farm projects.
