Quiet Vessel Initiative Learning Session

This TWO-DAY training, offered in-person and virtually, will teach you about underwater sound, commercial vessels, and mitigating underwater radiated noise (URN).

Day One introduces the concept of underwater noise, scales of measurement, impacts on marine biota, and strategies for mitigation. Day Two focuses on the history of commercial shipping, vessel types, source-level measurements, quiet ship classification, energy savings devices, and alternative means of propulsion.

This program will help you:

• Understand underwater radiated noise (URN), the environmental impact of commercial vessels and mitigation technologies.
• Identify the components of ambient noise in the ocean (anthropogenic, environmental, and biological).
• Interpret metrics used in the measurement of underwater noise.
• Understand the impact of URN from commercial vessels on marine mammals, fish, and turtles.
• Measure and analyze vessel noise signatures.
• Identify technology and methods for the mitigation of URN.
• Deploy passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems.

This training is relevant to Indigenous environmental monitors, captains and engineers of Canadian-owned commercial vessels, marine engineers, scientists, policy analysts, and recent students and/or graduates in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) fields of study.

Location:

SLR Vancouver Office

Suite 200 - 1620 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6J 1V4

Your Facilitators:

Justin Eickmeier, Underwater Acoustics Team Lead

Justin is an experienced researcher in Acoustical Oceanography. He is involved in managing and delivering underwater noise consulting projects, specifically marine mammal impact assessments. Justin has been provided ongoing acoustic technical support for the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) program at the Port of Vancouver since July 2019

In addition to underwater acoustics projects, Justin has supported the wider SLR acoustics group in a signal processing / data analyst role. Justin’s background in oceanography, ocean engineering and instrumentation is complemented by his substantial experience in underwater acoustics. His technical skills include underwater noise propagation modelling and prediction, measurement and monitoring, data processing and analysis, impact assessment, mitigation, and control.

Jonathan Vallarta, Underwater Acoustics Business Lead

Dr. Jonathan Vallarta has nineteen years of experience in underwater acoustics in a wide range of positions including teaching, design, project management, acoustic consulting, and collaborative research. He has considerable experience providing training courses in fundamentals of underwater noise and monitoring techniques and shares also a particular interest in marine conservation issues, especially in reference to threatened species, noise pollution and mitigation. In 2018, his expertise was recognized as an invited panelist and Mexican advisor at the United Nations in New York.