Grant: Engage Grants Program

The Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) tidal energy demonstration site in the Minas Passage,Bay of Fundy, is an extreme flow site (up to 6m/s) where large scale tidal turbines and arrays are planned forinstallation in 2015 and beyond. Needs for associated environmental monitoring include seasonal to year-roundacoustic monitoring of the soundscape, including marine mammal presence, before and after turbineinstallations. Acadia University and Ocean Sonics Ltd are partnering on a project to understand how the newlydeveloped icListenHF smart hydrophone (Ocean Sonics Ltd) performs on a bottom moored platform (lander) ina high flow, high noise site. The project will test the effectiveness of various types of acoustic foam shroudingof the hydrophone tip (to reduce flow noise) and will verify porpoise click trains with the use of co-locatedharbor porpoise click train detectors, CPODs (Chelonia Ltd, UK). The project includes in-tank and in-fieldtesting of a range of acoustic shroud configurations designed to reduce the detection of non-target noise,specifically flow noise. Field testing of the best performing shroud configuration will identify environmentalfactors (current speed, etc.) affecting the hydrophone ""listening"" capabilities. Triggered waveform datacollection will aid the development of an algorithm for harbor porpoise click train detection. Given thatcurrent speed is known to reduce the listening distance of acoustic sensors, this study will also assess how thedetection range (distance) of the icListenHF is impacted by flow speed and associated noise in Minas Passage.Data analysis from these tests will inform advances in hydrophone design and algorithm development leadingto improved assessments of marine mammal presence and environmental (vs turbine) noise at FORCE andother tidal energy sites.