A Cornucopia of Research on Understanding the Co-existence of Oil and Gas Exploration and Marine Life

Oct 06

Background

CRE has become aware of an invaluable source of information on oil and gas exploration as it relates to marine life. The information is made available through the research of the Joint Industry Programme presented on this website. CRE’s interest in the program is a result of the programme’s focus on providing sound scientific information to support regulatory decisions.

The JIP states:

In 2006 a group of international oil and gas companies committed to uniting their resources to fund a research programme to improve understanding of the potential physicial and behavioural effects of the sound created by finding and producing oil and gas or different forms of marine life. This Joint Industry Programme (JIP) is the most extensive industry research programme in this field.

We have deliberately engaged world-leading scientists to guide our research and ensure that it conforms to the highest standards. The JIP is informed by an advisory board of experts and contacts with leading scientists to conduct research. Scientists must submit papers to scientific journals and release their data to the public.

Regulatory Support

The US regulatory process is governed by the use of sound science as required by the Data Quality Act ( aka the Information Quality Act). JIP papers can be presented in federal filings when there is need for technical support for an argument therein.

We have identified a number of publications that could be of assistance when making federal filings; the following list is not inclusive of all such JIP studies but are presented as publications representative of the JIP universe of such studies.

Technology requirements to investigate the effects of sound on marine wildlife

A critical review of the literature on population modelling

Effects of Noise on Sound Perception in Marine Mammals

Estimating animal population density using passive acoustics

Identification of Potential Utility of Collation of Existing Marine Mammal Observer Data

A Report on a PAMGUARD Conference and Workshops held at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh 28th-29th of March 2007

Environmental Assessment of Marine Vibroseis

Fixed passive acoustic marine mammal monitoring for estimating species abundance and mitigating the effect of operations on the marine environment

A Conceptual Framework for Tiered Risk Assessment to Evaluate the Effects Of Sound from E&P Operations on Marine Mammals

PAMGUARD: An |Overview and Gentle Introduction

Review of Existing and Future Potential Treatments for Reducing Underwater Sound from Oil and Gas Industry Activities

Joint Industry Programme on Sound and Marine Life Review of Existing Data on Underwater Sounds Produced by the Oil and Gas Industry