AT-24-03: Ocean Environmental Monitoring and Sound Propagation Study at Mid-Atlantic Shelfbreak Offshore Wind Area | M24AS00265

Opportunity Information: Apply for M24AS00265

AT-24-03 is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) funding opportunity focused on improving how offshore wind environmental reviews account for ocean conditions and underwater sound. The central problem BOEM is trying to address is that noise impact assessments and sound propagation models often rely on older or purely historical environmental inputs, even though oceanographic conditions can shift over time due to climate change. At the same time, many existing acoustic monitoring efforts concentrate on what is recorded at a fixed location (for example, detecting marine mammal calls or summarizing signal-to-noise metrics) without pairing those sound observations with the physical ocean variables that strongly influence how sound travels and what the broader ecosystem is doing. This project is designed to close that gap by collecting acoustics and oceanography together and analyzing them as a coupled system.

The proposed work will deploy acoustic sensors near the National Science Foundation (NSF) Pioneer Array, an established ocean observing platform in the Mid-Atlantic shelfbreak region. The project will collect both passive acoustics (listening for biological sounds and other ambient noise) and active acoustics (using sound sources/echosounding approaches that can support measurements relevant to sound propagation and potentially biological scattering layers). A key feature is that sound propagation measurements will be conducted, not just long-term listening, so the resulting dataset can be used to evaluate and ground-truth regional sound propagation models that are used in offshore wind noise analyses. Importantly, the acoustic analyses are expected to incorporate in situ physical oceanographic time series from the area, allowing investigators to link sound behavior and biological presence to mesoscale and sub-mesoscale ocean dynamics (processes such as fronts, eddies, and smaller-scale stratification and mixing patterns that can change rapidly and strongly affect sound speed structure and animal distribution).

BOEM describes several intended outcomes. One is improved understanding of how mesoscale and sub-mesoscale oceanographic processes in the Mid-Atlantic shelfbreak region relate to offshore wind planning and development, including how changing regimes may alter baseline environmental conditions relevant to impact assessments. Another is validation support for regional sound propagation models, which can reduce uncertainty in noise exposure estimates used for environmental compliance and mitigation planning. The study is also expected to produce ecological information on the diurnal, seasonal, and annual occurrence and relative abundance of plankton, fish, and marine mammals in and near offshore wind farm areas, which helps contextualize when and where sensitive species may overlap with offshore wind activities and associated sound fields.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is issued as a Program Announcement describing a specific project BOEM intends to undertake, and it is explicitly not an open solicitation for proposals. Awards are contingent on BOEM receiving an acceptable proposal for the described work. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, meaning BOEM scientists anticipate substantial involvement in shaping the study and/or participating in study execution rather than operating strictly as a hands-off funder. The listed opportunity details indicate an award ceiling of $3,000,000, with the original closing date shown as June 13, 2024. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, in the environment activity area, under CFDA 15.423.

Eligibility is limited to members of specified Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs): North Atlantic Coast, Chesapeake Watershed, Gulf Coast, Californian, and Pacific Northwest. Eligible applicants include state governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities within those CESU networks. The applying organization must designate a Principal Investigator who is a staff member of that organization. BOEM also encourages cooperative research arrangements among state agencies, public universities, and non-profits in affected states, reflecting the regional and multi-stakeholder nature of offshore wind planning.

Cost sharing is not framed as strictly required, but BOEM states that matching contributions are very strongly encouraged and may be provided as cash or in-kind support (such as salary, equipment, or other resources). The announcement highlights several constraints typical of federal assistance agreements: match cannot include costs tied to samples collected in the past, equipment match value should be prorated to the period of use relative to the equipment life cycle, ship time match should be supported with written documentation that fairly assesses costs relevant to the project, and matching funds cannot come from other federal sources. BOEM points applicants to the cost sharing guidance in 2 CFR 200.306 and directs all questions, including those about eligibility, to the specific point of contact listed in the announcement (Section G).

• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "AT-24-03: Ocean Environmental Monitoring and Sound Propagation Study at Mid-Atlantic Shelfbreak Offshore Wind Area" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.423.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Others.

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