RWSC convenes all four Sectors (federal agencies, states, offshore wind companies, eNGOs) on regional deployment, data management, and analysis of long-term/archival PAM. The RWSC Marine Mammal Subcommittee leads this work. Read the RWSC Marine Mammal Subcommittee Passive Acoustic Monitoring Workshop Summary (September 2023) for a complete synopsis of this topic.
The research community and state, federal, and industry funders of long-term/archival passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) in U.S. Atlantic waters have the common goal of detecting and characterizing any broad-scale shifts in baleen whale detections as offshore wind projects are constructed and operate throughout the region.
RWSC is providing the forum for coordination. BOEM selected RWSC to lead implementation of the POWERON program in coordination with the RWSC Marine Mammal Subcommittee, BOEM, NOAA Fisheries, the Navy, and other PAM funders and practitioners. To implement the program, RWSC will develop a collaborative Annual PAM Field Plan, PAM Data Plan, and oversee the collection and management of PAM data funded via the program. RWSC hosted a PAM Workshop in September 2023 to continue and expand on activities of the Marine Mammal Subcommittee ongoing since early 2022. RWSC has also held PAM coordination meetings for individual subregions (Southern New England in June 2023 and NY/NJ Bight in May and September 2024). Participants in these activities provide RWSC with coordinates of planned and deployed PAM sensors for sharing on a regional map (see DEPLOYMENT MAPS tab). A coast-wide grid is used to help guide deployments and maximize coverage.
The POWERON (Partnership for an Offshore Wind Energy Regional Observation Network) program was officially launched by BOEM in October 2024. BOEM requires offshore wind lessees to conduct long-term PAM on their lease areas to measure sound levels and monitor for the presence of vocalizing marine species. With this new program, lessees can make annual contributions to POWERON to have their long-term PAM requirements fulfilled by an approved third party. Annual POWERON contributions will cover the cost of instrumentation, vessel time, data processing, and analysis conducted by authorized third parties. Contributions will also cover the costs of archiving data at a public passive acoustic data repository hosted by the National Centers for Environmental Information. To date, three offshore wind energy projects have opted-in to POWERON: Revolution Wind and South Fork Wind (both Ørsted projects), and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (a Dominion Energy project).
RWSC is providing the forum for coordination. RWSC hosted a PAM Workshop in September 2023 to continue and expand on activities of the Marine Mammal Subcommittee ongoing since early 2022. RWSC has also held PAM coordination meetings for individual subregions (Southern New England in June 2023 and NY/NJ Bight in May 2024). Participants in these activities provide RWSC with coordinates of planned and deployed PAM sensors for sharing on a regional map (see DEPLOYMENT MAPS tab). A coast-wide grid is used to help guide deployments and maximize coverage.
RWSC is leading the POWERON program and providing the forum for coordination. BOEM selected RWSC to lead implementation of the POWERON program in coordination with the RWSC Marine Mammal Subcommittee, BOEM, NOAA Fisheries, the Navy, and other PAM funders and practitioners. To implement the program, RWSC will develop a collaborative Annual PAM Field Plan, PAM Data Plan, oversee and ensure consistent collection and management of PAM data funded via the program, and make raw data and data products publicly available at 6-month intervals.
The RWSC Marine Mammal Subcommittee has been coordinating PAM deployments on the Atlantic OCS since early 2022, including via regular Subcommittee meetings, by hosting a PAM Workshop in September 2023, and by holding PAM coordination meetings for individual subregions of the RWSC study area (Southern New England in June 2023 and NY/NJ Bight in May and September 2024). Participants in these activities have provided RWSC with coordinates of planned and deployed PAM sensors for sharing on the RWSC Research Planning Map (see also the DEPLOYMENT MAPS tab). To share your PAM deployments with RWSC and the Subcommittee, download the template and return it to Debbie Brill, RWSC Marine Mammal Subcommittee Coordinator.
Offshore wind companies: BOEM requires long-term/archival PAM within the project footprint as part of each approved offshore wind project. The number of sensors and duration of required monitoring is different for each project. Vineyard Wind 1 and South Fork Wind coordinated the development of their PAM Plans with RWSC. Some companies are also voluntarily deploying PAM in and near their lease area, and developing partnerships with states, universities, and/or research institutions to manage the work.
Federal agencies: BOEM requires offshore wind lessees to conduct long-term PAM on their lease areas. BOEM and NOAA each received Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds that will be applied to long-term/archival PAM. BOEM, in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries and RWSC, launched the POWERON program where offshore wind companies can provide funds to BOEM to purchase and manage PAM equipment and data for their required PAM Plan.
States: Several states are funding long-term archival PAM deployment. The ASMFC is coordinating among the states from Maine through Maryland on the use
of $30M from a federal appropriation to advance North Atlantic right
whale research and monitoring. These funds are part of a multi-year appropriation over
the next six years. Several states have expressed interest in using a portion of these
funds to support PAM deployment. The proportion of the total fund that each state
receives is tied to the number of lobster permit-holders in each state.
Project WOW: The Project WOW team has partnered with Vineyard Wind 1 and Empire Wind to deploy long-term/archival PAM within each lease area as part of their DOE-BOEM-funded project.
RWSC News tagged with “PAM”
The RWSC Marine Mammal Subcommittee has developed and maintains map layers showing the components of a proposed Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) design for regional long-term monitoring near Atlantic offshore lease areas and wind energy areas in the RWSC Research Planning Map. Click on the map to learn more about locations where PAM devices are currently located.
To add your data to this map, download and fill out the PAM deployment locations metadata template OR if you have already submitted instrument metadata via NOAA Fisheries Passive Acoustic Reporting System templates, send/forward to Debbie Brill, Marine Mammal Subcommittee Coordinator.
PAM Data Management Best Practices (RWSC Marine Mammal Subcommittee)
