Environmental Studies Planning

Science for Informed Decisions

BOEM must comply with numerous environmental statutes, regulations, and executive orders to carry out its mission. BOEM is dedicated to acquiring and using the highest quality scientific information in support of Bureau decisions. To that end, the Environmental Studies Program (ESP) employs a rigorous planning, review, and procurement process to meet the nation's environmental research needs for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) resource assessments.

ESP staff from Headquarters and Regional program offices prepare the annual Studies Development Plan (SDP) to cover a two-year planning period. The plan includes brief study descriptions or profiles that describe proposed studies for the upcoming fiscal year and for one successive year. Proposed studies are evaluated for program relevance, programmatic timeliness, and scientific merit.

BOEM has formulated its Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Studies Development Plan covering all BOEM energy and minerals activities. It includes studies proposed for Alaska, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific OCS areas.

Additionally, BOEM consults with the Committee on Offshore Science and Assessment as a source of independent, scientifically credible, and objective information on topics of interest for the environmental studies and assessment activities and to support discussions on relevant issues. Collectively, these inputs contribute to the development of research plans.

BOEM maintains a complete description of ongoing BOEM studies by region. Each listing describes the research being conducted, the scientific discipline, the institution performing the work, the cost of the effort, timeframe, and any associated publications, presentations, or affiliated web sites.

Current and Previous SDPs

2023-2024 | 2022-2023 | 2021-20222020-2022 | 2019-2021 | 2018-2020 | 2017-2019 | 2016-2018 | 2015-2017 | 2014-2016 | 2013-2015 | 2012-2014 | 2011-2013

National Studies List

While the SDP serves a primarily internal planning function, it is a publicly available document and is used to communicate the proposed studies both internally within BOEM and externally with potential partners and other interested parties. The SDP and resulting studies undergo peer review at several stages to ensure the quality of the work proposed. When completed, the annual SDP forms the basis for the National Studies List (NSL), which represents the proposed studies for a given fiscal year, subject to the availability of funds.

To formulate the NSL, each region and program develops a priority order for their studies proposed. These lists are evaluated again by Headquarters, principally considering program relevance, timing, and budgetary constraints. Discussions are conducted with each of the regional/program offices, and when consensus is achieved, the NSL is recommended for approval. Once the annual appropriations for the Department have been approved, studies on the NSL are procured via competitive procurements, cooperative agreements with a State institution or university, or through inter/intra agency agreements with other Federal agencies. BOEM highly values studies procured through the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) with other governmental, industry, academic, tribal, non-governmental, and foundation partners. This allows all the parties to leverage financial, human, maritime, and other technological assets to meet mission objectives. BOEM's ESP seeks innovative approaches and technologies to help us advance the science program.

It is important to note that the NSL is subject to change throughout the course of the year as conditions warrant and due to budgetary constraints.

National Studies List for 2023

     

NSL #

     
     

Study Title

     
     

Discipline

     
Procurement Type      

BOEM Contact

     
New Requests
AK-23-02 Cook Inlet Area-wide Recreation and Tourism Inventory Socio-Economics Contract Brooks
AK-23-03 Pipeline Gas Release Frequency, Scenarios, and Impacts​ Fates & Effects Contract Smith
AK-19-02-19 Alaska Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) Information Management Cooperative Agreement Burril
Continuing Requirements
AK-15-05 Traditional Knowledge Implementation:  Accessing Arctic Community Panels of Subject Matter Experts Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement Brooks
AK-19-01 Impacts of Sedimentation and Drivers of Variability in the Boulder Patch Community, Beaufort Sea Habitat & Ecology Cooperative Agreement Raymond
AK-19-03 Landfast Ice in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and Under Ice Circulation Processes on the Beaufort Sea Shelf Physical Oceanography Cooperative Agreement Smith
AK-20-07 Early Detection Plan for Marine Non-Native Species on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Fates & Effects Inter-agency Agreement Burril
AK-21-01 Winter Ringed Seal Density within Beaufort Sea Oil and Gas Project Areas  Marine Mammals and Protected Species Cooperative Agreement Raymond
AK-21-02 Synthesis of Contaminants Data for Cook Inlet: Evaluation of Existing Data as “Baseline Conditions” and Recommendations for Further Monitoring  Fates & Effects Cooperative Agreement Smith
AK-21-03 Resource Areas to Support Oil Spill Risk Analysis (OSRA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Needs in the Cook Inlet Region  Marine Mammals and Protected Species Cooperative Agreement Burril
AK-21-04 Bowhead Whale Migration Patterns along the Alaskan Beaufort Shelf in During a Period of Rapid Environmental Change Marine Mammals and Protected Species Cooperative Agreement Crowley
AK-22-01 Lower Cook Inlet Fish and Invertebrate Community Composition, Distribution, and Density Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Burril
USGS Requirements
AK-20-10 Monitoring the Recovery of Seabirds and Forage Fish Following a Major Ecosystem Disruption in Lower Cook Inlet (LCI) Habitat & Ecology USGS Burril
AK-20-11 The Impact of Marine Fish Communities on Red-throated Loon Productivity in the Beaufort Sea Habitat & Ecology USGS Burril
AK-21-06 GPS Tagging of Seabirds to Obtain Areas of Foraging Aggregations and Forage Fish Schools in Lower Cook Inlet  Habitat & Ecology USGS Burril

     

NSL #

     
     

Study Title

     
     

Discipline

     
Procurement Type      

BOEM Contact

     
New Requests
AT-22-04 Tracking Movements of Common Terns Staging on Muskeget Island Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Bigger
AT-22-05 Clam Industry Spatial Needs Analysis – NY Bight Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement Hooker
AT-22-10 Estimating Bird and Bat Flight Heights from Wildlife Strike Data Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Bigger
AT-23-01 Gulf of Maine Socioeconomic Impacts of OCS Wind Development on Fishing Socio-Economics Contract Howson
AT-23-02 Update of Port Modification Study Socio-Economics Contract TBD
AT-23-03 Risk Assessment to Model Encounter Rates Between Large Whales and Vessel Traffic from Offshore Wind Energy – PHASE II Marine Mammals and Protected Species Contract Baker
AT-23-04 Baseline Tourism and Recreation Along the Gulf of Maine Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement TBD
AT-23-05 Gulf of Maine Fish and Invertebrate Benthic Habitat Baseline Data Collection Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Jensen
AT-23-06 Offshore Wind Turbine Visibility Study Socio-Economics Inter-agency Agreement Mccarty
AT-23-07 Support for Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative Ocean Portal Products and Services Information Management Contract Baker
AT-23-08 Assessment of Chemicals Associated with Offshore Wind Facilities and Potential Environmental Impacts on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Fates & Effects Contract Draher
Continuing Requirements
AT-19-07 Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species III Marine Mammals and Protected Species Inter-agency Agreement White
AT-20-02a Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS) III B and C—Photogrammetric Aerial Surveys to Improve Detection and Classification of Seabirds, Cetaceans, and Sea Turtles (Fish and Wildlife Service) Marine Mammals and Protected Species Inter-agency Agreement White
AT-20-02b Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS) III B and C—Photogrammetric Aerial Surveys to Improve Detection and Classification of Seabirds, Cetaceans, and Sea Turtles (Office of Aviation Services) Marine Mammals and Protected Species Inter-agency Agreement White
AT-20-05 Real-time Opportunity for Development Environmental Observations (RODEO) II Fates & Effects Contract Boatman
AT-21-04 Using High-Resolution Imagery to Describe Fishing Vessel Activity on the Atlantic OCS Habitat & Ecology Contract Bigger
AT-22-06 Mapping Abundance, Distribution, and Foraging Ecology of Gray Seals in the North Atlantic Marine Mammals and Protected Species Cooperative Agreement Cody
AT-22-07 Exploring the Connectivity Among Offshore Wind Turbines Fates & Effects Cooperative Agreement Jensen
AT-22-08 Sediment-borne Wave Disturbances and Propagation and Potential Effects on Benthic Fauna Fates & Effects Cooperative Agreement Boatman
AT-22-13 Investigating Persistent Super Aggregations of Right Whales and Their Prey Near Nantucket Shoals Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement White

     

NSL #

     
     

Study Title

     
     

Discipline

     
Procurement Type      

BOEM Contact

     
New Requests
GM-23-01 Assessing Avian Collision-Risk for Offshore Wind Development in the Gulf of Mexico: A Remote Sensing Approach Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement White
GM-23-02 Geodatabase of Benthic Community Habitat in the Gulf of Mexico Habitat & Ecology Contract Wisman
GM-23-03 Onshore Infrastructure Utilization, Development, and Potential Scenarios Related to Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Unconventional Energy Projects Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement Chaky
GM-23-04 Cultural Heritage and Traditional Knowledge of Vulnerable Coastal Communities Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement Sorset
GM-22-05 Reevaluating BOEM’s Guidelines for Identifying Submerged Pre-Contact Archaeological Sites in the Gulf of Mexico Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement Damour
GM-22-06 Benthic Community Characterization at BOEM “No Activities Zones”  Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Caporaso
Continuing Requirements
GM-17-11 Digital Curation: Streamlining Access to Research Across Gulf of Mexico Communities Habitat & Ecology Cooperative Agreement Chaky
GM-21-01 Offshore Analysis of Seafloor Instability and Sediments (OASIS Partnership) With Applications to Offshore Safety and Marine Archaeology Physical Oceanography Cooperative Agreement Jones
GM-22-01 Impact of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells on Air and Water Quality in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Fates & Effects Contract Ren
GM-22-02 Live forecasts of migratory bird movements offshore to monitor potential avian interactions with wind development Habitat & Ecology Cooperative Agreement White
GM-22-03 Long-Term Coral Reef Monitoring at Flower Garden Banks (FGB), Gulf of Mexico: 2022-2025 Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Caporaso

     

NSL #

     
     

Study Title

     
     

Discipline

     
Procurement Type      

BOEM Contact

     
New Requests
PC-23-01 BOEM-MARINe (Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network) Habitat & Ecology Cooperative Agreement TBD
PC-23-02 Pacific Marine Assessment Partnership for Protected Species (PacMAPPS) II Marine Mammals and Protected Species TBD Reeb
PC-23-03 Facilitating Resilience and Adaptation in Commercial Fisheries in Response to Offshore Renewable Energy Development and Climate Change Socio-Economics Inter-agency Agreement Schroeder
PC-22-01 O`ahu’s Traditional Cultural Landscapes Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement Ball
PC-23-04 Characterization of the Distribution, Movements, and Foraging Habitat of Endangered Leatherback Turtles in Designated Critical Habitat off the U.S. West Coast, Phase I Marine Mammals and Protected Species Inter-agency Agreement TBD
PC-23-05 Evaluating Hawaiian Fisheries and Potential Impacts of Offshore Wind Energy Development Socio-Economics TBD Makua
PC-22-07 Maritime Heritage of the U.S. Pacific Islands Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement Ball
Continuing Requirements
PC-21-01 West Coast Tribal Cultural Landscapes Socio-Economics Inter-agency Agreement Ball
PC-21-03 Partners in Offshore Wind Environmental Research – California (POWER–California) Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Gilbane
PC-22-03 Birds, Bats, and Beyond: Networked Wildlife Tracking along the Pacific Coast of the U.S. Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Pereksta
PC-22-04 Tag you’re it! Habitat Use of Whales of the U.S. West Coast and Hawai'i Marine Mammals and Protected Species Cooperative Agreement Reeb
USGS Requirements
PC-19-06b California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG) II Fates & Effects USGS Zaleski

     

NSL #

     
     

Study Title

     
     

Discipline

     
Procurement Type      

BOEM Contact

     
New Requests
MM-22-01 Efficacy of Thermal Detection Technology for Nighttime Protected Species Observer Surveys Marine Mammals and Protected Species Contract Rice
MM-23-01 Evaluating Sediment Mobility on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Physical Oceanography   Rice
MM-21-04 Seamount Benthic Mapping and Characterization, in support of Critical Minerals and Deep Corals of the Aleutian Islands Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Knorr
MM-23-02 Minerals and Ecosystems of the Remote Pacific Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Le
MM-23-03 Accounting for Scale Bias in Marine Minerals Studies Habitat & Ecology Cooperative Agreement Hansen
Continuing Requirements
MM-19-01 Ecological Function and Recovery of Biological Communities within Sand Shoal Habitats within the Gulf of Mexico Fates & Effects Contract Rogers
MM-20-01 New York Bight (NYB) Fish, Fisheries, and Sand Features: In the Field Habitat & Ecology Cooperative Agreement Hansen
MM-20-02 Sandbridge Highly Migratory Species: Fish Distribution on a Dredged Shoal Fates & Effects Cooperative Agreement Hansen
MM-20-03 Behavioral and Spatial Ecology of the Endangered Giant Manta Ray (Manta birostris) Fates & Effects Cooperative Agreement Levenson
MM-21-01 Shallow Water Geophysical Mapping by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles: Feasibility Assessment, Field Testing, and Best Practice Physical Oceanography Contract Cofield
MM-21-02 Sea Turtle Avoidance Technology Solutions (STATS) Marine Mammals and Protected Species Contract Levenson
MM-22-02 Sturgeon Response to Dredge Activities and Recovery After Trawl Capture Near Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Sand Resources Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Hansen
MM-22-03 Fish Fry: Frying Pan Shoals Ecosystem Dynamics Habitat & Ecology Cooperative Agreement Hansen
USGS Requirements
MM-22-02 Sturgeon Response to Dredge Activities and Recovery After Trawl Capture Near Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Sand Resources Habitat & Ecology USGS Hansen

     

NSL #

     
     

Study Title

     
     

Discipline

     
Procurement Type      

BOEM Contact

     
New Requests
NT-23-01 Addressing Key Information Gaps in Acoustic Ecology of North Atlantic Right Whales Marine Mammals and Protected Species Cooperative Agreement Levenson
NT-23-02 Carbon Mapper and Air Measurements in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Air Quality Inter-agency Agreement Wecht
NT-23-03 Updating BOEM’s Environmental Sensitivity Methods and Models Information Management Cooperative Agreement White
NT-23-04 Next Generation of Animal Telemetry: Year II Marine Mammals and Protected Species Inter-agency Agreement Levenson
NT-23-05 Piloting an Approach to Community-Informed Characterization of Environmental Justice (EJ) Communities Potentially Impacted by BOEM-Authorized Activities Socio-Economics Contract Mansfield
NT-23-06 Qualitative Risk Assessment Approach Refining Acoustic Processes and to Explore the Inclusion of Cumulative Effect Analysis for Offshore Windfarm Construction and Operations Habitat & Ecology Contract Labak
NT-23-07 Investigating Shoreline Fumigation Algorithms in Offshore and Coastal Dispersion Model for AERMOD – Part 2 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Inter-agency Agreement to Improve AERMOD for Overwater Applications Air Quality Inter-agency Agreement Merritt
NT-23-08 Understanding Potential Health Impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Energy Activities on Environmental Justice (EJ) Populations Socio-Economics Contract Mansfield
NT-23-09 Offshore Wind Farm Impacts on Pacific Upwelling, Nutrients, and Productivity Habitat & Ecology Cooperative Agreement Kilpatrick
NT-23-10 Feel the Vibrations: Behavioral Response by Fish and Invertebrates to Particle Motion/Substrate Vibration from Pile-Driving Habitat & Ecology Contract Kates Varghese
NT-23-11 Substrate-Borne Vibroacoustic Disturbances from Offshore Wind Construction: Measurements, Physical Characteristics, and Propagation Fates & Effects Cooperative Agreement Guan
Continuing Requirements
NT-09-x17 Interagency Ocean Observation Committee Information Management Contract Blythe
NT-19-07 Archaeological Investigations in Support of Development of Energy and Mineral Resources on the US Outer Continental Shelf Socio-Economics Contract Carrier
NT-19-x09 University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Habitat & Ecology Contract Li
NT-20-02 Sea Turtle Hearing Sensitivity and Impacts of Sound Marine Mammals and Protected Species Contract Levenson
NT-20-06 Continued Partnership with National Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate Zoology (NMNH-IZ) for a Voucher-Based, Genomic Reference Facility for Ocean Biodiversity Information Management Inter-agency Agreement Blythe
NT-21-01 Facilitating Strategic Partnerships in Support of the Presidential Memo on Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization  Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Mueller
NT-21-04 Spatial and Acoustic Ecology of Understudied ESA Listed Marine Mammals Marine Mammals and Protected Species Inter-agency Agreement Levenson
NT-21-06 Mortality Risk for Whale and Basking Sharks During Energy and Mineral Operations Habitat & Ecology Contract Levenson
NT-21-x11 National Guide to Deepwater Sensitive Habitats and Associated Fauna  Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement Sharuga
NT-21-x13 Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Network FY21-FY25 Information Management Inter-agency Agreement Ewald
NT-21-x15 Standardizing Integrated Ecosystem-Based Assessment Nationally Information Management Contract Levenson
NT-22-01 Capacity Building and Collaboration with the Aquinnah and Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes Socio-Economics Cooperative Agreement Primo
NT-22-02 Offshore Air Quality (AQ) from NASA’s Satellites and Related Experiments Air Quality Inter-agency Agreement Wecht
NT-22-03 Understanding Impacts of Habitat Modifications on Commercial Fisheries and Apex Predator Distribution Habitat & Ecology Contract Levenson
NT-22-04 Automated Detection and Classification of Wildlife Targets in Digital Aerial Imagery – Phase II Habitat & Ecology Inter-agency Agreement White
NT-22-05 Incorporating PAMGUARD into the Tethys Passive Acoustic Data Metadata System Information Management Cooperative Agreement Price
USGS Requirements
NT-22-04 Automated Detection and Classification of Wildlife Targets in Digital Aerial Imagery – Phase II Information Management USGS White