batch_auto_20260713 202607131256465730 BOEM ESP geoESPIS ESPIS@boem.gov Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Optimization of Towed Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Array Design and Performance CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. A numerical model for simulating the localization performance of a three- or four-hydrophone towed passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) array on multiple species clusters has been developed that allows the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to assess the localization efficacy of towed PAM arrays proposed in mitigation and monitoring plans for offshore wind farm development and other operations. Simulations of a 200-m aperture array were run for three marine mammal signal types of interest: sperm whale, right whale, and beaked whale. The ability to localize a marine mammal call using PAM systems commonly deployed for mitigation surveys conducted in support of offshore wind farm development requires several conditions and assumptions. In order to localize, the call must first be detected. A detection’s range will be dictated by the received amplitude of the signal, which in turn depends on the species, distance, and relative orientation to the receiver, as well as the noise conditions of the monitoring environment. The goal of this project was the development of an algorithm and user interface with the intent to enable BOEM personnel to input proposed array specifications and determine the theoretical localization capability for low-, mid-, and high-frequency cetaceans within 5 km of the array. 198500 U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Environmental Studies Program https://doi.org/10.13039/100012475 M0119F0051 10.67297/9A1E37 https://boem.gov/awardpages/100279