Noise from Oil Development

Fact Sheet Read time:
Projects: Protecting Life in the Arctic - U.S.
Noise from Oil Development

Noise-related Impacts of U.S. Arctic offshore oil and gas development

One of the greatest concerns associated with oil and gas development is the potential impact of noise on marine mammals. The sources of noise include seismic surveying, drilling, construction and the use of ice-breaker ships. These impacts have been documented by many government agencies and research institutions including the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, the U.S. Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Marine Mammal Commission and the National Research Council.

© iStockphoto

Icebreaker

One of the industry’s first steps in oil and gas development is to do an inventory of extractable resources and ideal drilling sites. These are called seismic surveys.  BOEMRE maintains a list of seismic survey permits for Alaska. During seismic testing, ships tow air guns that shoot pulses of air into the seabed. Seismic waves then reflect back to sensors on the water’s surface. The sound frequencies of these surveys occur within the range of 20 to 150 Hz – within the auditory range of many marine species.  Seismic testing can emit more noise energy into the ocean than Navy sonar.  Marine mammals, especially the endangered bowhead whale, are sensitive to seismic testing. The booming noise can result in harassment of the whales or cause injury. Bowhead whales have been known to shift their fall migration routes because of seismic testing noise.

Studies have also found that seismic testing have lethal affects on fish and crab and reduce fish catch rates. The hearing organs of fish are vulnerable to loud sounds such as those produced by survey air guns. Fish use sounds in the same ways that marine mammals do – to find mates, locate prey, avoid predators and to communicate.


ENDNOTES:

67 Federal Register 46, 712, 46, 718, July 16, 2002.

McCauley, R.D., J. Fewtrell, and A.N. Popper. 2003. High intensity anthropogenic sound damages fish ears. Journal of Acoustical Society of America 113638-642.

MMC. 2007. 35th Annual Report of the Marine Mammal Commission.http://mmc.gov/reports/annual/pdf/2007annualreport.pdf 2007.

National Research Council. 2003. Cumulative Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas Activities on Alaska's North Slope. The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C. 

Downloads Arctic Standards: Recommendations on Oil Spill Prevention, Response, and Safety in the U.S. Arctic Ocean
Downloads Arctic Standards: Recommendations on Oil Spill Prevention, Response, and Safety in the U.S. Arctic Ocean
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Arctic Oil Spill Report

Oil Spill Prevention and Response in the U.S. Arctic Ocean: Unexamined Risks, Unacceptable Consequences

Oil Spill Prevention and Response in the U.S. Arctic Ocean: Unexamined Risks, Unacceptable Consequences is the most comprehensive analysis yet on challenges to preventing and containing spills along the nation’s northernmost coast.
Quick View

Oil Spill Prevention and Response in the U.S. Arctic Ocean: Unexamined Risks, Unacceptable Consequences

Oil Spill Prevention and Response in the U.S. Arctic Ocean: Unexamined Risks, Unacceptable Consequences is the most comprehensive analysis yet on challenges to preventing and containing spills along the nation’s northernmost coast.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Bulk carrier

Article

May 20, 2020 Most Large Ships Transiting Arctic Use New Routes That Help Protect Environment and Communities
Vera Spein

Article

February 6, 2019 Fishery Council to Include Traditional Knowledge in Bering Sea Management
Bearing Sea

Article

October 16, 2018 In the Arctic, Increased Vessel Traffic Brings Concerns Over Pollution

MORE FROM PEW

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.