The Joint Framework for Ocean Noise in the Atlantic Seas (JONAS) project, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through INTERREG Atlantic Area Programme, aims to streamline the monitoring and risk management of underwater noise in the northeast Atlantic ocean and support EU member states in meeting the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Nine JONAS project partners have teamed up to examine and address the effects of underwater noise on sensitive species through eight interconnected Work Packages (WPs), which include activities such as the production of monthly noise and risk maps based on the spatial modelling of noise characteristics and the distributions of key sensitive species in order to support better planning and decision-making in EU Member States, the development and demonstration of indicators for the risk of impact from shipping noise that are deemed suitable for OSPAR and MSFD assessment and local underwater noise management, the development of an online underwater noise visualisation platform, to provide a communal workspace designed to make technical material more accessible and transform it into user-friendly tools and services for use by policy makers and researchers, the examination of five case studies looking at the impacts and effects of acoustic pollution, ship quieting methods, seismic survey operations, offshore wind energy devices, and acoustic deterrent devices in aquaculture.

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