First use of combined high and low frequency moored

First use of combined high and low frequency moored Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM)

instruments for cetacean detection offshore Ireland

Gareth Parry

Country Manager - Ireland

Atlantic Ireland Conference, Dublin

20th of October 2014

This presentation contains forward looking statements that are subject to risk factors associated

with oil and gas businesses. It is believed that the expectations reflected in these statements are

reasonable but they may be affected by a variety of variables and changes in underlying

assumptions which could cause actual results or trends to differ materially, including but not

limited to: price fluctuations, actual demand, currency fluctuations, drilling and production

results, reserve estimates, loss of market, industry competition, environmental risks, physical

risks, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments, economic and financial market conditions

in various countries and regions, political risks, project delay or advancement, approvals and

cost estimates.

All references to dollars, cents or $ in this presentation are to US currency, unless otherwise

stated.

References to “Woodside” may be references to Woodside Petroleum Ltd. or its applicable

subsidiaries.

29 October 2014 Title of Presentation 2

Disclaimer and important notice

29 October 2014 Atlantic Ireland 2014 3

Woodside


The precautionary principle

If a whale sings in the ocean and no one

hears it...does it make a sound ??

The precautionary principle

• Often invoked in the absence of data

• If an action or policy has a suspected risk of

causing harm, in the absence of scientific

consensus that the action or policy is harmful, the

burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those

taking the action


Whales and dolphins offshore Ireland

• 22 species recorded (Porcupine)

• Great whales (Mysticetes) and

Toothed (Odontecetes) cetaceans

• All marine operations make noise

Source: Acsonline.org

Approach Advantages Disadvantages

Aerial

visual surveillance

Vessel

visual surveillance

• Good coverage

• Take advantage of good sea states

(aerial)

•Can collect other data (birds)

(vessel)

• Limited by sea state

• Relatively expensive (time)

• Challenging for deep diving sp.

• Species ID difficult (aerial)

• Training (aerial)

• Health and safety

Passive Acoustic

Monitoring (PAM)

Arrays

Static

• Not weather dependant

• Low ambient noise off Ireland

• Suited for deep diving sp. studies

• LF loggers range up to 150km

• Good coverage with low logger #’s

• Sample 24hrs a day

• Have to make a sound

• HF loggers range ~2 to 5km

• All data stored locally

• Data processing labour intensive

Tagging

Tracking studies

• Not weather dependant

• Individual can represent a pod

• Identify correlation with habitats

• Sample 24hrs a day

• Good for migratory whales

• Reasonably inexpensive

• Low sample size

• Does not give abundance

• Animal welfare and HS risks

• Risk of equipment failure

• Long periods looking for

individuals 6

The Options – The Challenges

Source: NOOA


Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) arrays


An integrated offshore cetacean study

Primary – great and toothed cetaceans

• PAM - presence based on songs, calls,

whistles and clicks

• Derive relative abundance

• On PAM Conduct visual transects s on

deployment and recovery cruises

• Towed hydrophones (PAM Guard) on

deployment and recovery cruises

Secondary - data uses

• Measure 2014 seismic survey acoustic

levels. Data for PIP study IS13/07

• Data for measurement and description of

ambient sea noise and anthropogenic activity

Source: Joanne O’Brien


A first for offshore Ireland

Low Frequency (LF)

• Great whale detection (singing)

• Blue, Humpback , Minke and Fin

whales

• Sample freq 1 – 3000 Hz

• Sample length 10 mins

• Sample repeat interval 15 mins

High Frequency (HF)

• Clicking and whistling species detection

• Sperm, Beaked whales; Harbour

porpoise and dolphins

• Sample freq 1- 192 kHz

• Sample length 10 mins

• Sample repeat interval 90 mins

CPOD – SW Porcupine site only



CPOD

Low Freq.

HighFreq.

CPOD


PAM array locations


An Australian whale tale – Great Scott

• Scott Reef is a large emergent shelf coral

atoll (50 km by 30 km)

• More than 30,000 different species.

• Significant dolphin and whale presence

• Including Pygmy Blue and Humpback

whales

• PAM stations deployed 2006 to 2009

• Partnership with Curtin University

Source: NOOA

Source: Browse LNG Development



Scott Reef ocean noise results

• 24 deployments; 2006 to 2009

• Detections of whales (Humpbacks,

Minke, Pygmy Blue, Bryde’s, unknown),

fish choruses, vessels, exploration

drilling, seismic surveys, suspected

illegal dynamite fishing inside Scott

Reef

• Provided certainty around seasonality

of great whales in the lagoon and

surrounding open water

• Data on relative abundance (coast vs

Scott Reef)

• Track population trends

Scott Reef

Broome


29 October 2014 13

Composite spectrogram

Source: McCauley, 2011, Sea Noise Logger Program – Browse LNG Development


Great whale calls and summary

• Significant advances made in semi-

automated detection of great whale calls

• Long periods of absence for Pygmy Blue,

Humpbacks and Minke whales

Source: McCauley, 2011, Sea Noise Logger Program – Browse LNG Development


A sound approach - Summary

• Early baseline studies, well executed, support sustainable development

• PAM array cetacean studies

• Scientifically robust

• Relatively cost effective

• Ocean noise data supports other

research

• Collection phase of Porcupine study

complete. Preliminary indications are

that data quality is excellent

• Collaboration through effective

research partnerships brings out the

best


Partnership


Thank You !

Documents

First use of combined high and low frequency moored