2007 International Symposium
"Potential Application of Vessel-Quieting Technology on
Large Commercial Vessels"
1-2 May, 2007
NOAA Main Campus, Science Center
1305 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Convened by:
NOAA Ocean Acoustics Program, Brandon L. Southall (Director)
National Marine Fisheries Service
Office of Science and Technology
Marine Ecosystems Division
Contact: Brandon.Southall@noaa.gov
Background
The issue of anthropogenic sound and its effects on marine life is one of increasing public and scientific interest. Our understanding of many relevant questions has expanded rapidly in some areas, although considerable scientific uncertainty generally remains. In 2004, NOAA and a number of other government, industry, and academic partners convened the first formal meeting ("Shipping Noise and Marine Mammals: A Forum for Science, Management, and Technology") to consider the effects of sounds from large vessels on marine life. While it was collectively acknowledged that there are many uncertainties and complexities regarding the potential effects of vessel sounds, there was clear agreement that sound introduced into the environment will, at some level, have various effects on marine life. It was also acknowledged that large vessels represent a significant (and in some areas predominant) contribution to overall ambient noise in certain (primarily low) frequency bands. The potential for interference ("masking") with marine animal communication signals occurs where there is overlap between vessel noise and marine animal calls. Marine animals that produce signals most likely to be masked by large vessel sounds include the large whales, some seals and sea lions, and most fish.
Sound produced as an incidental byproduct of vessel operation serves no particular function in the transportation of goods. Thus, given the potential interference with acoustic communication in marine life, an important question is whether sound output from large vessels can be realistically reduced. Of course, there are both technical and practical considerations bearing on this question. A key action item identified by an expert panel and audience forum at the 2004 symposium was to explicitly consider whether vessel-quieting applications in other contexts (e.g., military vessels and fisheries research) can be feasibly scaled up for use on much larger commercial vessels. Further, it was noted that economic aspects of any such applications (in terms of costs and any benefits related to efficiency or on-board noise reduction) must be specified. It was suggested that for vessel operators, noise may, in certain circumstances, be undesirable in that it may be hazardous or annoying to on-board crew or passengers and/or it may reflect propulsion inefficiency. However, others noted that vessel builders and operators are continually striving to increase efficiency and question any economic benefits that could theoretically offset the costs of retrofitting or designing quieter vessels.
The overarching aim of the 2007 symposium is for subject-matter technical experts to provide an objective assessment of the feasibility and economic aspects of various quieting applications for vessel designers, builders, owners, and operators. The symposium will be organized and conducted toward achieving the objectives specified below.
Objectives
This symposium will not focus on the deliberate application of active acoustic sources on most vessels (e.g., echosounders). Rather, it will consider the incidental sound radiated in the course of vessel operations. Neither is the symposium intended to revisit in any great detail, questions regarding potential effects of sound on marine life that are acknowledged to be largely unresolved, nor regulatory considerations concerning anthropogenic sound.
The symposium will largely put these overarching issues aside, presume that there may be certain environmental benefits to having quieter vessels without attempting to unequivocally define them, and achieve the following objectives:
- Specify rationale and explicit target levels for quieting for vessels of various classes; consider how targets may vary in different geographical areas.
- Determine (to the extent possible) whether known/existing vessel-quieting technologies used in other applications have the potential to achieve these goals for large commercial vessels.
- Determine (to the extent possible) the likely costs and any tangible benefits associated with the application of the various technologies on existing ships (retrofitting) and in vessel construction.
- Produce a formal report summarizing progress on the above objectives; synthesize findings into a "menu" format of the feasibility, costs, and benefits of various vessel-quieting options in different geographical areas.
Report
Presentations
Agenda & Abstracts
- Announcement and Final Agenda [pdf]
- Abstracts and Bios [pdf]
More Info
- 2005 Outreach Event Large Vessel Acoustics Outreach/Information Exchange [pdf] [34 KB], October 19-21, 2005, Houston, TX
- 2004 International Symposium: "Shipping Noise and Marine Mammals", May 18-19, 2004, Arlington, VA
