Public Reports & Articles
ESRF Study | Transmission Loss Modelling of Seismic Airgun Sounds Predicted Received Levels, with Frequency Weighting, off Atlantic Canada
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.
Duntroon Multi-client 3D and 2D Marine Seismic Survey: Acoustic Modelling
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.
Vineyard Wind Impact Assessment
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.
Potential Impact of Pile-Driving Noise at Cape Lambert—Literature Review of International Regulations
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.
Newfoundland Orphan Basin Exploration Drilling Program Environmental Impact Statement
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.
ESRF Study | Analysis of Acoustic Particle Motion Data from the Svein Vaage Airgun Study
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.
Assessment of Vessel Noise within the Southern Resident Killer Whale Critical Habitat
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.
ESRF Study | Acoustic Monitoring Along Canada’s East Coast: August 2015 to July 2017
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.
Nexen Energy ULC Flemish Pass Exploration Drilling Project (2018–2028)
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.
Pattullo Bridge Replacement Environmental Assessment: Acoustic Modelling
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.
Barossa Area Development Offshore Project Proposal
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.
Exploring the Ocean Through Soundscapes
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.
Modeling studies for Gulf of Mexico OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities
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
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.
Studies for ExxonMobil Eastern Newfoundland Offshore Exploration Drilling Project
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.
Great Barrier Reef Underwater Noise Guidelines: Discussion and Options Paper
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.
Acoustic Modeling Study: Underwater Sound Levels from Marine Pile Driving in Southeast Alaska
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.
City of Kingston Third Crossing of the Cataraqui River: Preliminary Design Summary Report
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.
Proposed Metrics for the Management of Underwater Noise for Southern Resident Killer Whales
May 2017 — British Columbia, Canada
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.
Shelburne Basin Venture Exploration Drilling Project: Sound Source Characterization, 2016 Field Measurements of the Stena IceMAX
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.
ECHO Analysis of Regional Ocean Noise Contributors
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.