Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory proposes to support costs associated with preparation of environmental assessments, incidental harassment authorizations, on-board observers, and post-cruise reporting to National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA) as part of compliance with environmental regulations (National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA)). Support is provided for such activities from the Oceanographic Technical Services Program at NSF primarily to address concerns regarding anthropogenic noise impacts on marine mammals by the large seismic arrays on R/V Marcus G. Langseth operated by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The budget in this proposal is for the first year of a 3-year continuing grant.
Mitigation of Impacts of Ocean Sciences Research of Marine Mammals (2009- 2011) award funds environmental compliance activities for R/V Marcus G. Langseth. The R/V Langseth is operated by the Office of Marine Operations (OMO) at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (L-DEO) on behalf of the National Science Foundation. The R/V Langseth maintains a unique 2D and 3D marine seismic imaging capability unique in the UNOLS academic fleet that allows it to carry out science missions aimed at understanding complex earth processes beneath the ocean floor.This award includes support for OMO technical staff, environmental analysis subcontractors, marine mammal observers, and environmental permitting that must be undertaken for each seismic science mission. An integral part of seismic surveys conducted onboard the Langseth is a monitoring and mitigation program. They are designed to minimize the potential impacts of the proposed activities on marine animals present during those studies and to document, as much as possible, the nature and extent of any effects. Such planned and permitted monitoring and mitigation measures further minimize the possibility of any effects on the marine animal population as a result of seismic surveying. For any cruise utilizing this seismic capability , L-DEO, as the vessel operator, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), as the ship owner, must comply with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA). An environmental analysis of marine mammals listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA must be authorized under both the ESA and MMPA. The L-DEO mammal mitigation program ensures that permit application regulations are met and adhered to during the each science mission.
