Virginia BOEM M15AC00010 Raw Audio Data

Passive acoustic monitoring recorders were deployed off the coast of Virginia to collect two years of acoustic data from 2015 - 2017 to determine the acoustic presence of four focal whale species: North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Previously collected acoustic data from 2012, 2013 and 2015 supplemented the dataset and both seasonal and annual trends in temporal and spatial distribution were found for all four species of baleen whales. Baseline ambient noise measurements were analyzed to provide context for potential risks to whales associated with the construction and development in the offshore wind energy area. In addition, spatial and temporal trends in odontocete presence were analyzed. Offshore wind energy development in coastal Virginia waters may pose risks to marine mammals that use the habitat, both through acute risks of ship-strikes or construction-related activities such as pile driving, and chronic risks from increased exposure to noise. Passive acoustic monitoring can provide insight into the spatial and temporal distribution of whale species in the study area and can characterize the baseline ambient noise of the environment to assess potential risks to marine mammals.