This Small Grants for Exploratory Research award to University of Massachusetts Boston provides support for acquisition and analysis of acoustical data from the Gerry E Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS). Data will be collected using an existing array of hydrophones deployed by the NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The Research Coordinator and a post-doctoral scholar ocean noise specialist at SBNMS are co-Principal Investigators of this project, and NOAA's National Ocean Service is providing the vessel to carry out the field effort. The project includes recording two types of geophysical sound sources, a "boomer' and a 'sparker,' at different ranges from the receivers. Recording will also be made when the sound sources are not operating, but the vessel is moving, to address ship noise, and when no vessels are in the vicinity, to record background environmental sound levels in various weather conditions. Broader Impacts: Support provided here is expected to provide a valuable set of recordings of anthropogenic and natural sounds in the shallow marine environment of Stellwagen Bank to assess potential impacts of such sounds on marine animals and habitats. ***
