Impact of Ocean Tests to Be Studied

Responding to a wave of public criticism, scientists planning to test global warming by transmitting high-volume sounds through the ocean said Tuesday they will assist in completing an environmental assessment before starting the experiment off Big Sur.

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, who insist that the ocean sound tests will not harm marine mammals, said they will collect data for the environmental study to analyze how the repeated low-frequency broadcasts would affect animals.

The start of the sound tests off California will be delayed at least until late June to give an opportunity for public comment on the environmental study, said Andrew Forbes, deputy director of the project.

“It gives us a further chance to demonstrate the responsible nature of the program we plan to conduct,” Forbes said.

Environmentalists said the planned assessment would not be sufficiently detailed. They called on the scientists to prepare a full-fledged environmental impact statement, which would include an analysis of alternatives to ocean sound tests for studying global warming.

The planned experiment off California and Hawaii was delayed after public criticism last month prompted the National Marine Fisheries Service to schedule public hearings near both test sites. Two hearings have been set for Hawaii next week, but no hearing date has been chosen for the Monterey area.

The request for an additional 60-day delay to allow the assessment was formally made Tuesday by the Advanced Research Projects Agency, the federal agency sponsoring the $35-million study. The agency sent a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service, a separate federal agency that has authority to approve the project and will evaluate the environmental assessment.

Only the Big Sur test would be delayed. The test off the island of Kauai in Hawaii could begin in May if a permit is granted.

Some marine mammal experts are concerned that the broadcast of the low rumbling sound for 20 minutes every four hours could disturb or deafen whales and other animals in the vicinity of the loudspeakers.