Averaging underwater noise levels for environmental assessment of shipping

Nathan D. Merchant; Philippe Blondel; D. Tom Dakin; John  Dorocicz

doi:10.1121/1.4754429

Averaging underwater noise levels for environmental assessment of shipping

Nathan D. Merchant, Philippe Blondel, D. Tom Dakin, John Dorocicz

Department of Physics

University of Victoria

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

76 Citations (SciVal)

363 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Rising underwater noise levels from shipping have raised concerns regarding chronic impacts to marine fauna. However, there is a lack of consensus over how to average local shipping noise levels for environmental impact assessment. This paper addresses this issue using 110 days of continuous data recorded in the Strait of Georgia, Canada. Probability densities of ∼ 10 7 1-s samples in selected 1/3 octave bands were approximately stationary across one-month subsamples. Median and mode levels varied with averaging time. Mean sound pressure levels averaged in linear space, though susceptible to strong bias from outliers, are most relevant to cumulative impact assessment metrics. Probability densities of ~ 10^7 1-s samples in selected 1/3 octave bands were approximately stationary across one-month subsamples. Median
and mode levels varied with averaging time. Mean sound pressure levels averaged in linear space, though susceptible to strong bias from outliers, are most relevant to cumulative impact assessment metrics.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	EL343-EL349
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Volume	132
Issue number	4
Early online date	19 Sept 2012
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4754429
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2012

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 14 Life Below Water

Keywords

underwater acoustics
ambient noise
shipping
Environmental impact

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10.1121/1.4754429

Merchant etal averaging shipping noise levels 2012 JASA EL
Copyright (2012) Acoustical Society of America. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the Acoustical Society of America. The following article appeared in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 132(4) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4754429
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Cite this

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abstract = "Rising underwater noise levels from shipping have raised concerns regarding chronic impacts to marine fauna. However, there is a lack of consensus over how to average local shipping noise levels for environmental impact assessment. This paper addresses this issue using 110 days of continuous data recorded in the Strait of Georgia, Canada. Probability densities of ∼ 10 7 1-s samples in selected 1/3 octave bands were approximately stationary across one-month subsamples. Median and mode levels varied with averaging time. Mean sound pressure levels averaged in linear space, though susceptible to strong bias from outliers, are most relevant to cumulative impact assessment metrics. Probability densities of \textasciitilde{} 10\textasciicircum{}7 1-s samples in selected 1/3 octave bands were approximately stationary across one-month subsamples. Median and mode levels varied with averaging time. Mean sound pressure levels averaged in linear space, though susceptible to strong bias from outliers, are most relevant to cumulative impact assessment metrics.",

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N2 - Rising underwater noise levels from shipping have raised concerns regarding chronic impacts to marine fauna. However, there is a lack of consensus over how to average local shipping noise levels for environmental impact assessment. This paper addresses this issue using 110 days of continuous data recorded in the Strait of Georgia, Canada. Probability densities of ∼ 10 7 1-s samples in selected 1/3 octave bands were approximately stationary across one-month subsamples. Median and mode levels varied with averaging time. Mean sound pressure levels averaged in linear space, though susceptible to strong bias from outliers, are most relevant to cumulative impact assessment metrics. Probability densities of ~ 10^7 1-s samples in selected 1/3 octave bands were approximately stationary across one-month subsamples. Median and mode levels varied with averaging time. Mean sound pressure levels averaged in linear space, though susceptible to strong bias from outliers, are most relevant to cumulative impact assessment metrics.

AB - Rising underwater noise levels from shipping have raised concerns regarding chronic impacts to marine fauna. However, there is a lack of consensus over how to average local shipping noise levels for environmental impact assessment. This paper addresses this issue using 110 days of continuous data recorded in the Strait of Georgia, Canada. Probability densities of ∼ 10 7 1-s samples in selected 1/3 octave bands were approximately stationary across one-month subsamples. Median and mode levels varied with averaging time. Mean sound pressure levels averaged in linear space, though susceptible to strong bias from outliers, are most relevant to cumulative impact assessment metrics. Probability densities of ~ 10^7 1-s samples in selected 1/3 octave bands were approximately stationary across one-month subsamples. Median and mode levels varied with averaging time. Mean sound pressure levels averaged in linear space, though susceptible to strong bias from outliers, are most relevant to cumulative impact assessment metrics.

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Averaging underwater noise levels for environmental assessment of shipping

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

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