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    • NOAA Ocean Noise Reference Station Network (NRS) Raw Passive Acoustic Data

    Metadata Updated: June 9, 2023

    Passive acoustic monitoring of the ocean ambient sound field is a critical aspect of NOAA's mandate for ocean and coastal stewardship. This includes detecting and characterizing: (1) sounds produced and used by living marine resources (e.g., endangered marine mammals); (2) natural sources of noise from physical oceanographic processes; and (3) anthropogenic noise sources that contribute to the overall ocean noise environment. Noise generated by anthropogenic activities (especially commercial shipping and seismic oil & gas exploration) is increasingly being recognized as a potential threat to marine mammals which are protected in the U.S. by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. Current scientific data suggest that increased ambient noise levels impact marine mammals by hindering communication (Hatch et al. 2012), altering communication behavior (Parks et al. 2013), altering locomotive behavior (Pirotta et al. 2013), and inducing stress (Rolland et al. 2012). Additional concerns associated with the degraded acoustic quality of diverse habitats broaden these concerns to include possible repercussions for fish and invertebrate species, many of which NOAA manages as commercially-harvested, protects as resources within sanctuaries, or studies as key elements to sustaining healthy ecosystems. For these reasons it is important for science-based regulatory agencies including NOAA to monitor long-term trends and changes in the ambient sound field. The objective of the proposed project is to establish a network of initially ten ocean noise reference stations in U.S. waters to monitor long-term changes and trends in the underwater ambient sound field (McDonald et al. 2006). Our plan is to deploy identical autonomous acoustic recording systems developed in-house at PMEL at each reference station to ensure proper calibration and consistency of the collected data sets.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date September 9, 2021
    Metadata Created Date December 4, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date June 9, 2023
    Reference Date(s) May 23, 2014 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NGDC MGG Passive Acoustic

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Monitoring locations for the NRS project. Credit: NOAA

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Series
    Metadata Date September 9, 2021
    Metadata Created Date December 4, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date June 9, 2023
    Reference Date(s) May 23, 2014 (publication)
    Responsible Party NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.ngdc.mgg.pad:NRS_Raw_Data
    Access Constraints Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose., Cite as: NOAA OAR Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOS Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and DOI NPS Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate. 2014. NOAA Ocean Noise Reference Station Network Raw Passive Acoustic Data. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5M32T0D [access date], Resource may not be available for up to one year after initial collection.
    Bbox East Long -64.65
    Bbox North Lat 72.4900
    Bbox South Lat -14.2686
    Bbox West Long -170.7196
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview Description Monitoring locations for the NRS project. Credit: NOAA
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/pad/browse/NRS_Network.png
    Graphic Preview Type png
    Harvest Object Id cb61984a-3305-49ed-9dfa-06fdf54cd795
    Harvest Source Id 8812445c-2f10-47c5-80d9-c1bc92ca956d
    Harvest Source Title NGDC MGG Passive Acoustic
    Licence
    Lineage
    Metadata Language eng; USA
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-170.7196, -14.2686], [-64.65, -14.2686], [-64.65, 72.49], [-170.7196, 72.49], [-170.7196, -14.2686]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG:4326
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2014-05-23T00:16:20

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