If you’re a marine research professional, oceanographer or ocean scientist, you’ll want to see the new Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) FY2025-2026 Studies Development Plan (SDP) published on June 12, 2024. BOEM contacts for each study are outlined in the Plan.
As part of the agency’s commitment to acquire and use the highest quality scientific information in its regulatory decision making, BOEM’s SDP is a key component of its rigorous planning, review and procurement process to meet the nation’s research needs to inform Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) environmental analyses.
BOEM prepares the annual SDP to cover a two-year planning period. The plan outlines BOEM’s research priorities and includes brief study profiles that describe proposed studies for the upcoming fiscal year and for one successive year. These studies are designed to collect the information necessary to meet the needs of BOEM scientists, rule writers, modelers and decision makers.
Proposed studies are evaluated for program relevance, programmatic timeliness and scientific merit.
To read the SDP, click HERE.
It includes studies proposed for Alaska, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific OCS areas.
Additionally, BOEM consults with the Committee on Offshore Science and Assessment as a source of independent, scientifically credible, and objective information on topics of interest for the environmental studies and assessment activities and to support discussions on relevant issues. Collectively, these inputs contribute to the development of research plans.
BOEM maintains a complete description of ongoing BOEM studies by region. Each listing describes the research being conducted, the scientific discipline, the institution performing the work, the cost of the effort, timeframe, and any associated publications, presentations, or affiliated web sites.
While the SDP serves a primarily internal planning function for BOEM, it is also a publicly available document and is used to communicate the proposed studies both internally within BOEM and externally with potential partners and other interested parties. The SDP and resulting studies undergo peer review at several stages to ensure the quality of the work proposed. When completed, the annual SDP forms the basis for the National Studies List (NSL), which represents the proposed studies for a given fiscal year, subject to the availability of funds.
To access the NSL and learn more about how it is created, click HERE.
BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program (ESP) develops, funds and manages rigorous scientific research specifically to inform policy decisions on the development of energy, mineral and geological resources on the OCS. Research covers physical oceanography, atmospheric sciences, biology, protected species, social sciences and economics, submerged cultural resources and environmental fates and effects.
BOEM to Present 10 Study Profiles to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Offshore Science and Assessment (COSA)
On July 11 and 12, 2024, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will host the 26th meeting of the Standing Committee on Offshore Science and Assessment (COSA) to provide feedback on selected studies from the FY 2025-2026 SDP.
BOEM consults with COSA as a source of independent, scientifically credible and objective information on topics of interest for the environmental studies and assessment activities. Collectively, these inputs contribute to the development of research plans.
The meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. and is open to media and the public. The Academies require advance registration. Meeting details, including a webcast link for remote attendees, are posted on the NASEM website HERE.
BOEM has selected 10 study profiles to present to COSA:
Alaska OCS Regional Office
- Assessment and Minimization of Avian Collision Risk Associated with Renewable Energy Infrastructure in the Cook Inlet Planning Area, Alaska
Gulf of Mexico OCS Regional Office
- Offshore Wind Energy Facilities Impact on Hydrodynamics and Primary Production in the Gulf of Mexico
- Oil and Gas Vessel Strike Risk Analysis: Cetaceans in the Northern Gulf of Mexico with a Focus on the Endangered Rice’s and Sperm Whale
Pacific OCS Regional Office
- Impacts of Floating Offshore Wind Subsurface Infrastructure to Hydrodynamics, Biogeochemistry, and Primary Productivity in the Pacific OCS
Marine Minerals Program
- Protected Smalltooth Sawfish Occurrence in BOEM OCS Sand Resource Areas
Office of Environmental Programs
- All Impacts Are Not Equal: Artificial Intelligence Approaches for Understanding Impacts of Wind Energy Construction on Sperm Whale Vocal Clans
- Modeling Carbon Dioxide Leakage and Potential Environmental Impacts from Carbon Sequestration Projects on the OCS
- Verification of OCS Air Quality Standards and Development of a Satellite-based Top-down Emissions Inversion System
Office of Renewable Energy Programs
- Applying Distributed Acoustic Sensing Technology to Monitor Large Whales at Atlantic Offshore Wind Areas
- Integrating High-quality Movement Data from Proxy Species into Stochastic Collision Risk Assessment for Movement (SCRAM)
About Guice Offshore Vessels and Marine Research
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