Underwater Sound Levels at a Wave Energy Device Testing Facility in Falmouth Bay, UK.

Passive acoustic monitoring devices were deployed at FaBTest in Falmouth Bay, UK, a marine renewable energy device testing facility during trials of a wave energy device. The area supports considerable commercial shipping and recreational boating along with diverse marine fauna. Noise monitoring occurred during (1) a baseline period, (2) installation activity, (3) the device in situ with inactive power status, and (4) the device in situ with active power status. This paper discusses the preliminary findings of the sound recording at FabTest during these different activity periods of a wave energy device trial.

[1]  P. E. Nachtigall,et al.  MARINE MAMMAL NOISE-EXPOSURE CRITERIA: INITIAL SCIENTIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS , 2008 .

[2]  Nancy Jennings,et al.  Startle response of captive North Sea fish species to underwater tones between 0.1 and 64 kHz. , 2008, Marine environmental research.

[3]  Amy R. Scholik,et al.  Effects of Boat Engine Noise on the Auditory Sensitivity of the Fathead Minnow, Pimephales promelas , 2002, Environmental Biology of Fishes.

[4]  Ian Ashton,et al.  Spatial variability of ocean waves, from in-situ measurements , 2013 .

[5]  Sofia Patricio,et al.  Wave energy and underwater noise: State of art and uncertainties , 2009, OCEANS 2009-EUROPE.

[6]  E. J. Harland,et al.  Underwater Noise Study Supporting Scottish Executive Strategic Environmental Assessment for Marine Renewables , 2007 .

[7]  Philipp R. Thies,et al.  Wave conditions inducing extreme mooring loads on a dynamically responding moored structure , 2013 .

[8]  A. D. Hawkins,et al.  A field study of hearing in the cod,Gadus morhua L. , 1973, Journal of comparative physiology.

[9]  Brian Polagye,et al.  Underwater noise measurements of a 1/7th scale wave energy converter , 2011, OCEANS'11 MTS/IEEE KONA.

[10]  Nathan D. Merchant,et al.  Assessing sound exposure from shipping in coastal waters using a single hydrophone and Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. , 2012, Marine Pollution Bulletin.

[11]  S. Wolf,et al.  Site dependence of wind‐dominated ambient noise in shallow water , 1989 .

[12]  Mats Leijon,et al.  Characteristics of the Operational Noise from Full Scale Wave Energy Converters in the Lysekil Project: Estimation of Potential Environmental Impacts , 2013 .

[13]  G. M. Wenz Acoustic Ambient Noise in the Ocean: Spectra and Sources , 1962 .

[14]  A N Popper,et al.  The effects of anthropogenic sources of sound on fishes. , 2009, Journal of fish biology.