Supporting the Ocean Noise Reference Station Network with UnderwaterAcoustic Monitoring at Buck Island Reef National Monument

Project ID: P16AC00349

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: Oregon State University

Fiscal Year: 2016

Initial Funding: $17,390

Total Funding: $263,827

Project Type: Research

Project Disciplines: Interdisciplinary

National Park: Buck Island Reef National Monument

Principal Investigator: Klinck, Holger

Agreement Technical Representative: Ziegler, Tracy

Abstract: The purpose of this collaborative project between NPS and OSU is to secure and maintain an Ocean Noise Reference Stations for NPS at NPSA and BUIS. Ofu Atoll at NPSA offers a unique opportunity because it is possibly the most remote site in the network, relative to commercial shipping traffic and geophysical exploration. This site is providing critical baseline information on conditions in the park and this remote region of the south Pacific. A new site at Buck Island Reef National Monument (BUIS) was selected to provide data for trends and conditions in the Caribbean, detect the occurrence and seasonality of whales and dolphins, and levels of motorized boat traffic from the main port of Christiansted into and out of the park. From an NPS perspective, this is exciting because it would be the first long-term marine soundscape monitoring system for the agency, and because NPS would gain leverage through the partnership with OSU and NOAA. In addition to these park units with a proposed monitoring station, the entire noise monitoring network may provide valuable information for ocean and coastal parks, depending on the depth and proximity of stations outside the parks.