1. Soundscape and Noise Exposure Monitoring in a Marine Protected Area Using Shipping Data and Time-Lapse Footage
- Author
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Paul M. Thompson, Tim R. Barton, Enrico Pirotta, and Nathan D. Merchant
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Sound exposure ,Soundscape ,Noise ,Offshore wind power ,Special Area of Conservation ,Noise exposure ,Oceanography ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Environmental monitoring ,Marine protected area ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences - Abstract
We review recent work that developed new techniques for underwater noise assessment that integrate acoustic monitoring with automatic identification system (AIS) shipping data and time-lapse video, meteorological, and tidal data. Two sites were studied within the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for bottlenose dolphins, where increased shipping traffic is expected from construction of offshore wind farms outside the SAC. Noise exposure varied markedly between the sites, and natural and anthropogenic contributions were characterized using multiple data sources. At one site, AIS-operating vessels accounted for total cumulative sound exposure (0.1–10 kHz), suggesting that noise modeling using the AIS would be feasible.
- Published
- 2016