NT-23-11: Substrate-Borne Vibroacoustic Disturbances from Offshore Wind Construction: Measurements, Physical Characteristics, and Propagation | M23AS00332

Opportunity Information: Apply for M23AS00332

NT-23-11 (Funding Opportunity Number M23AS00332) is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) cooperative agreement funding opportunity focused on understanding substrate-borne vibroacoustic disturbances generated by offshore wind construction and operations. The central idea is to directly measure and characterize mechanical waves and particle motion that travel through the seabed (not just through the water column) when activities like pile driving occur. While underwater noise impacts have been studied for years, this opportunity highlights that comparatively little is known about seabed-coupled vibrations and how they propagate through different sediment layers, even though these disturbances are widely recognized as a potentially important stressor for benthic and seafloor-associated organisms.

The project aims to fill key knowledge gaps about the physics of these disturbances: what the signals look like in real-world offshore wind scenarios, how their energy and frequency content vary, how they change with distance from the source, and how local geology and sediment layering affect transmission. A major deliverable implied in the description is a clearer, measurement-based understanding of propagation pathways and attenuation, so the field can move from general concern to quantifiable expectations about where and when impacts might occur. In practical terms, BOEM is looking for science that can support defensible predictions of “impact zones” around construction and operational activities based on real measurements and validated models.

A second emphasis is methodological. The study is expected to explore and compare data collection approaches and identify the most appropriate geoacoustic sensors for capturing substrate-borne vibroacoustic signals at different ranges and at different depths within the sediment. That includes determining which sensor types perform best under offshore conditions, what deployment configurations are most effective, and how to collect signals that can be used both for interpretation and for model development. The opportunity also points toward developing source characterizations and propagation modeling approaches that can translate measured signals into prediction tools, rather than stopping at descriptive observations.

Although offshore wind construction is the motivating use case, BOEM explicitly notes that the results should be broadly applicable to other seabed-coupled marine industrial activities. Examples listed include marine energy converter construction and operations, subsea drilling and dredging, offshore structure removal (decommissioning), and deep-sea mining. That framing suggests BOEM values outputs that generalize across settings, such as sensor recommendations, standardized measurement strategies, and transferable propagation or impact modeling approaches that regulators and practitioners could apply beyond a single project site.

Administratively, this is a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement, meaning BOEM expects substantial involvement and coordination rather than a hands-off grant structure. The activity category is Environment under CFDA 15.423. The award ceiling is $1,500,000, and the posting indicated an expected single award. The original application closing date was 2023-08-08, and the opportunity was created on 2023-06-08.

Eligibility is limited primarily to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, with the project being competed through specific Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs): North Atlantic Coast, Pacific Northwest, Gulf Coast, Californian, Chesapeake Watershed, and Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast. A staff member of the applying organization must serve as the Principal Investigator, which is an explicit requirement. Partnerships are encouraged, especially cooperative research involving state agencies, public universities, and nonprofits in affected states. Federal entities may participate as partners, but any tasks they perform and the associated budget must be provided separately by the federal partner, while non-federal partner tasks and budgets are expected to be included within the main applicant’s proposal.

• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NT-23-11: Substrate-Borne Vibroacoustic Disturbances from Offshore Wind Construction: Measurements, Physical Characteristics, and Propagation" 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 2023-06-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-08. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Others.

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