Science and Monitoring

Many facets of BOEM’s science and monitoring work use Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) technology.

PAM is a useful tool for:

• Observing the presence of vocalizing species 
• Measuring the received levels of anthropogenic sound sources
• Quantifying the levels and patterns of naturally occurring sounds, including those from marine life

During many BOEM-authorized activities on the OCS, towed PAM arrays are used to monitor marine mammal vocalizations. Recognizing the need to understand the reliability, sensitivity, and accuracy of PAM systems to determine their efficacy for this task, BOEM developed the Towed PAM Algorithm. It produces plan views (2D maps) of the accuracy and sensitivity of three or four element arrays for various ambient noise conditions and animal hearing groups. The report, “Optimization of Towed Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Array Design and Performance Study,” is available on BOEM’s ESP HUB.

During offshore wind development, PAM will be employed for several purposes:

• Short-term recordings will measure sound levels from pile-driving operations and from operational wind turbines. 
• During construction, real-time PAM will be used to alert operators when vocalizing species are nearby.
• For several years pre- and post-construction, archival PAM systems will record the presence of vocalizing marine mammals and fish.

BOEM is working with several stakeholders to develop a long-term regional PAM network in the Atlantic Ocean to centralize acoustic data and share them alongside other data streams. This network would allow for a more robust analysis and greater understanding of where animals are and, ideally, insights about what they are doing. The effort will initially focus on monitoring populations of baleen whales, but additional species may be recorded and analyzed as well. Working with staff in BOEM’s Office of Renewable Energy Programs, the CMA hosted several workshops to gather input from key stakeholders on this PAM network. The workshop reports can be found at the links below.

In addition to using PAM for offshore wind development and monitoring, BOEM has funded several studies that have utilized PAM to answer important questions about the marine environment and life within it. Working with BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program, the CMA has developed the BOEM Acoustics Science Strategy (BASS) to ensure current and future informational needs are addressed by taking a proactive approach to addressing knowledge gaps.