Objectives and scope of the programme

Objectives: The overarching objective of the JIP is to identify specific, operationally focused questions that relate to the effects of sound generated by the offshore E & P industry on marine life, and to pursue a research programme that will test scientific hypotheses and produce the data needed to address these questions.

The results of the studies funded through the JIP will provide objective, material scientific information that will:

1. afford a more comprehensive understanding of the potential environmental risks from oil and gas operations,
2. inform and update policy decision makers, and regulatory development processes that affect our operations globally,
3. determine the basis for mitigation measures that are protective of marine life, cost effective, and credible with outside stakeholders, and
4. feed into planning for efficient E & P project development that is environmentally protective.

Scope: The scope of this programme reflects the diverse interests of the JIP partners and the global nature of their operations. The programme supports research on all sources of sound produced by the offshore oil and gas industries, including seismic airguns, drilling, dredging, pile driving, construction equipment, removal of offshore structures using explosives, shipping, and others. The taxa of concern include marine mammals, fish (all life stages) turtles, birds, and invertebrates. The JIP supports research in any nation.

The primary scope of the programme’s research is to describe industry sources, the known or potential effects of these sources on animals, and ways to mitigate these effects. Secondarily, the programme addresses some larger questions about anthropogenic sound that go beyond immediate industry needs, such as the global trend in ocean noise from all sources of human sound, the mechanisms that underlie animal injury or death from intense sound exposure, conferences discussing the latest research results, and others.

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