Marine Environment Review of 2006 Activities

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Marine Environment Review of 2006 Activities

• Sarah L. Tsoflias, IAGC
• IAGC 2007 AGM
• 22nd February 2007

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Introduction

• What? - Sound in the marine environment
• reducing the risk of sound exposure to marine
  animals
• noise defined as pollution
• Why?
• Continued regulatory / public interest in the
  protection of the marine environment
• Increasing introduction / use of marine mammal
  mitigation measures during seismic surveys

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Australia
Regulatory Engagement ongoing dialogue

• Guidelines still in development
• significant review of guidelines initiated in
  2004
• led by APPEA, Industry began a dialogue with DEH
  in early 2006 to proceed with guideline revisions
• IAGC shared recent Industry knowledge and
  experience with government representatives and
  aided Industrys effort where requested
• Significance
• If most recent DEH draft guidelines were accepted
  there is a real potential for no night time
  acquisition being possible in the vicinity of
  feeding or migrating whales
• Continued interaction with APPEA in 2007

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Canada
Regulatory Engagement ongoing dialogue

• Statement of Practice
• Scientific information collected and
  peer-reviewed by national and international
  experts from government, industry, academia, and
  ENGOs
• Currently available to regional petroleum boards
  to use but not yet implemented as federal
  guideline
• Seismic surveys must be planned to
• Use only the energy required
• Minimize horizontal propagation
• Minimize frequency spread
• Significance
• BATHOLITHS scientific research project cancelled
  because DFO decided not enough mitigation
  measures existed

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United States
Regulatory Engagement ongoing dialogue

• MMS Arctic Ocean Outer Continental Shelf Seismic
  Surveys PEA 2006
• IAGC submitted comments in May 2006
• MMS / NMFS Draft PEIS for Beaufort and Chukchi
  Seas- intent announced October 2006
• MMS Lease Sale 193 Seismic Surveying Activities
  in Chukchi Sea Draft EIS, October 2006
• MMS GOM Geologic Geophysical Exploration for
  Mineral Resources Draft EIS
• Significance
• 120 dB threshold in Alaska potential
  implications for GOM
• Alaska only area in U.S. where marine seismic
  allowed and baleen whales occur

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International Engagement

• International Whaling Commission 58th Annual
  Meeting
• IAGC participated in and contributed to the
  meeting on seismic surveys and their potential to
  impact cetaceans
• Engel et al., 2004 paper updated in 2006 still
  no link between seismic operations offshore
  Brazil and humpback whale stranding events
• OSPAR
• Defined noise as pollution
• IAGC provided comments to OGP (Industry observer
  to OSPAR) on the draft background paper on sound
  and the marine environment
• Continued IAGC involvement in 2007
• Participated in EU Marine Strategy consultation
  process

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Research Activities

• Industry Research Funders Coalition (IRFC)
  2003-2006
• IRFC projects officially transferred to JIP in
  May 2006 (PAMGUARD and Source Characterization
  Study)
• IRFC administrative wrap-up continues in 2007
• OGP EP Sound Marine Life Joint Industry Program

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OGP EP Sound Marine Life JIP

• Phase II formally initiated in May 2006
• Phase II Agreement for 3 years 2006, 2007, 2008
• IAGC is leveraging 100K against gt 8M per year
  for research and technology development related
  to the marine environment
• IAGC member sweat equity critical for JIP to be
  effective in areas important to geophysical
  industry

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OGP EP Sound Marine Life JIP

• In addition to IAGC, the following companies
  comprise the JIP
• Anadarko ExxonMobil
• BG Group Hydro
• BHP Billiton Santos
• BP Shell
• Chevron Statoil
• ConocoPhillips Total
• Eni Woodside

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Research Activities

• OGP EP Sound Marine Life Joint Industry
  Program (OGP JIP)
• Seismic Sound Source 3D Characterization Study
  (SCS)
• Single / Cluster Source Measurements Modelling
• Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM)
• PAMGUARD
• Integration Testing of Acoustic Vector Sensor
  into 3-D Tracking PAM Array
• Marine Mammal Visual Observation Data Resource
• Active Acoustic Monitoring
• Temporary Threshold Shift in Odontocetes
• Mysticete Hearing Audiograms Modelling
• Animal Tagging Technology Development
• Behavioural Reactions (AUTEC)
• Biological Significance
• Cumulative Effects

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Source Characterization Study (SCS)
OGP EP Sound Marine Life JIP

• A broad-band air gun source characterization
  study to
• provide information over a range of emission
  angles and azimuths
• help answer many questions related to emission of
  high frequency sound energy from seismic source
  arrays
• Proposed parameters
• 3D seismic survey in Gulf of Mexico
• Water depth gt 1000 m
• High density source effort

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Source Characterization Study (SCS) - status
OGP EP Sound Marine Life JIP

• 1st source vessel RFP unsuccessful
• limited response from geophysical industry to RFP
• vessel availability not coincident with timeframe
  for specialized recording equipment or deployment
  vessel
• current high demand for source vessels
• 2nd RFP distribution imminent timeframe for
  study August-October 2007
• DANGER of not being able to conduct SCS in 2007
  if no companies respond to RFP
• In absence of alternative, a non-industry dataset
  will be used as input to regulatory discussion
  for U. S. GOM and potentially U. S. Alaska
  regions

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Passive Acoustic Monitoring
OGP EP Sound Marine Life JIP

• PAMGUARD
• Software open source platform
• Prototype PAMGUARD software released January 2006
• Version 0.03b released August 2006 with updates
  from 2006 field trials
• 2D 3D detection/localization functionality
  available/benched tested by May 2007
• 2007 JIP funding includes
• Additional core architecture development - user
  set-up and save wizards
• Maintenance resource
• PAMGUARD Workshop 28-29 March 2007, Edinburgh,
  Scotland
• 2007 field trial proposals under review
• Core PAMGUARD functionality available December
  2007
• Integration Testing of Acoustic Vector Sensor
  into 3D Tracking PAM Array
• 800 m towed array system, tow depths down to 100
  m at speeds of 5 knots
• 3D tracking fixes out to 3 km range are expected

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Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) in Odontocetes
OGP EP Sound Marine Life JIP

• Study quantitatively investigating the amount of
  TTS induced in bottlenose dolphins and a beluga
  whale after exposure to multiple impulses
  produced by an airgun
• Data may be used to develop damage risk criteria,
  from which more accurate determinations can be
  made for any mitigations to prevent injuries
• Requires 60-80 in3 airgun, compressor, and
  hardware to trigger airgun using a digital pulse
  (to allow remote control and synchronization with
  data acquisition devices)
• Status
• Contract awarded, however, need technical
  assistance to develop operational procedures and
  maintenance during experimental field work

DANGER of not being able to conduct study in
2007 if no companies able to lend expertise or
equipment to researchers to conduct the study
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Communication Education

• Marine Environment Newsletters
• quarterly publications in 2006
• 5 planned for 2007 watch for the 1st newsletter
  at the end of this month!
• Marine Environment website
• went live in April 2006
• further improvements planned for IAGCs new
  website in 2007
• IAGC Marine Operations Environment Educational
  CD-ROM scheduled for completion in April 2007

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Communication Education

• Joint OGP/IAGC Sound Marine Life Task Force
• Coordination of EP industry global effort to
  develop public policy, strategy, and engagement
  on marine environment issues
• Current initiatives include
• Re-drafting of Technical Document
• Q A media toolbox
• Participation in international workshops
• IAGC Brazil March 2006
• IWC May 2006
• German Federal Environment Agency September
  2006
• IacMST UK Underwater Sound Forum December 2006

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Marine Environment Activities in 2007

• Continued engagement with government authorities
  worldwide
• Continued communication / education with IAGC
  members
• Co-ordinate and provide technical support for
  industry supported research efforts
• Continued focus on commercial aspects related to
  marine environment issues
• sarah.tsoflias_at_iagc.org
• http//www.iagc.org/