Does Underwater Noise from Oil Platform Well Conductor Cutting Impact Marine Life?

Integral Consulting Inc. is part of the Tetra Tech team selected by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to evaluate the characteristics and contributions of noise generated by abrasive cutting during offshore oil platform conductor removal operations.  The Integral team has a strong safety record and will employ state-of-the-science techniques to monitor noise.

After oil wells are sealed, but before an oil and gas production platform can be decommissioned, conductors (well piping) need to be removed—which can involve mechanical or abrasive cutting methods.  To ensure environmental impacts are mitigated, noise-generating activities, such as the cutting of well conductor pipes, must consider the potential impact on marine biological resources, including fish, sea turtles, and marine mammals. Empirical acoustic data for abrasive well conductor cutting is not currently available.

During the project, the NoiseSpotter™ will be deployed to measure acoustic particle motion and sound pressure from conductor cutting operations.

Integral’s marine scientists have a wealth of experience in underwater acoustic monitoring.  As part of the Tetra Tech team, Integral will carry out a portion of the field plan by deploying the NoiseSpotter™, a compact array consisting of three acoustic vector sensors, which will be used to make measurements of acoustic particle motion during platform conductor pipe cutting. Scientists will also monitor sound pressure, ambient oceanographic conditions, and marine mammal presence.  Following the study, data analysis will be performed to quantify sound pressure levels and particle motion, and describe changes, if any, to the underwater soundscape as the result of abrasive cutting operations.

Kaustubha Raghukumar, Ph.D., senior scientist at Integral, will oversee the acoustic particle motion monitoring and analysis. Dr. Raghukumar is an oceanographer with a solid background in ocean acoustics and physical oceanography. He has 13 years of experience in modeling and at-sea measurements of underwater sound, surface waves and internal waves, and has authored a number of peer-reviewed scientific papers in these fields. He has participated in several international at-sea experiments that focused on the impact of oceanographic fluctuations on ocean acoustic propagation. Dr. Raghukumar continues to develop state-of-the-art acoustic monitoring techniques and technologies for clients such as the U.S. Department of Energy and the Office of Naval Research. He is the primary inventor of the NoiseSpotter™ (patent pending, #16879434).

For more information, contact Dr. Raghukumar at kraghukumar@integral-corp.com.