Following the initial publication of the risk assessment tool and accompanying report in 2021, CSA conducted comprehensive sensitivity testing and incorporated updates based on the best available scientific data. An updated tool was released in 2022. Ms. Tara Stevens, Project Scientist at CSA’s Northeast Regional Office in Rhode Island, will present an application of the updated risk assessment tool at the upcoming American Cetacean Society’s 2022 “Whales in a Sea of Troubles” themed conference in San Diego, California, November 4-6. The poster presentation will illustrate how project design or operational considerations could be assessed to implement vessel risk reduction strategies, thereby demonstrating the model as a powerful tool that could be used to inform important decision making at planning, impact assessment, and operational project levels.
The risk assessment tool is available free of charge from BOEM and can be run in ArcGIS 10.6 or higher. Contact CSA csa@conshelf.com for more details or a demonstration.
More information on BOEM’s Renewable Energy Research completed studies is available.