Marine Mammal Mitigation (MMM) Mission Planning Tool

The marine mammal mitigation mission planning tool (M3 PT) will allow mission planners to identify marine mammal hazard areas based on sound scientific research of marine mammal migration routes and habitats. Our unique approach will also enable the Navy to refine its knowledge of marine mammal habitats in operational theaters by logging and data basing visual observations and acoustic detections of marine mammals made by Navy warships while on patrol. The marine mammal mission planning tool will interface in-situ with active sonar systems and provide warning areas around these systems based upon passive detection and localization from the marine mammal mitigation detection system and active detections of marine mammals from the SQS-53C sonar. The hazard areas will be based on Level A and Level B harassment as a function of permanent threshold shift (PTS) and temporary threshold shift (TTS). The M3 PT will display hazard areas around active systems based upon transmit source levels and sound propagation modeling using real time bathythermograph inputs and the spatial location of observed marine mammals. During Phase I of this effort we will document the feasibility of our design approach for Phase II laboratory testing and at-sea demonstration onboard an Improved Performance Sonar platform. BENEFITS: One of the most significant contributions to marine mammal research will be inclusion of shipboard sightings and acoustic detections into a searchable database. Private industry and research institutions are not afforded the luxury of making long duration/long transits across the vast expanses of the ocean that the Navy does on a day-to-day bases. These observations will support on-going marine mammal research efforts across a wide spectrum. It will support: • Identification of marine mammal migration routes • Identification of feeding areas • Identification of breeding areas • Identification of marine mammal nursery areas • Identification of rich marine mammal habitats • Population estimates of various marine mammal species • Density estimates of various marine mammal species • Refinement of marine mammal ranges • Development of historical trends