Public Reports & Articles
Hydroacoustic Pile Driving Noise Study – Comprehensive Report
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.
Aurora LNG, Prince Rupert, BC
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.
Anchorage Port Modernization Project Test Pile Program: Hydroacoustic Monitoring Report
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.
Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program
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.