Noise

Sound generated during the construction or operation of a device.

During the construction of wind energy or marine renewable energy devices, substantial noise levels can be produced by vessel or vehicle traffic and installation activities (e.g., pile driving, cable burial). Operation of these devices may additionally produce low levels of noise from the rotation of turbine blades, movement of floating devices on the surface, or strumming of mooring lines and cables. Measures to reduce noise impacts in the marine environment include the use of bubble curtains during pile driving and careful siting and timing of construction activities to avoid species’ critical migration routes and times.

Sound propagates farther and faster in water than in air, which can result in greater consequences for the marine environment. Coupled with the many other sources of anthropogenic noise in the marine environment (e.g., ships, seismic studies), the noise from offshore wind and marine renewable energy devices may impact many marine species. Noise may interfere with marine organisms’ communication, navigation, detection of prey, and ability to interact with their environment, as well as causing attraction to or avoidance of devices. Additionally, some marine organisms may be physically harmed from excessive noise exposure (e.g., tissue and nerve damage).

For more information relevant to marine energy, check out the Underwater Noise Short Science Summary produced by OES Environmental.

For more information relevant to offshore wind energy, check out the Underwater Noise Effects on Marine Life research brief produced by SEER.

Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Tethys is a knowledge hub that contains documents on the environmental effects of wind and marine energy. The table below contains all of the documents in the Tethys Knowledge Base associated with Noise.

Total: 1482

Searches title and abstract.
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
High rates of vessel noise disrupt foraging in wild harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) Wisniewska, D., Johnson, M., Teilmann, J. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Underwater Assessment of Anthropogenic Noise Sources Using a Field Recording Method Fernandez, A. Journal Article Noise
Hearing thresholds, for underwater sounds, of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) swimming at the water surface Kastelein, R., Helder-Hoek, L., Terhune, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Noise Marine Mammals, Pinnipeds
Male Greater Prairie-Chickens Adjust their Vocalizations in the Presence of Wind Turbine Noise Whalen, C., Brown, M., McGee, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise Ground-Nesting Birds, Birds
The importance of particle motion to fishes and invertebrates Popper, A., Hawkins, A. Journal Article Noise Fish, Invertebrates
Environmental Effects Monitoring Program Annual Report 2017 Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) Report Marine Energy, Tidal Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Swimming Speed of a Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) During Playbacks of Offshore Pile Driving Sounds Kastelein, R., Van de Voorde, S., Jennings, N. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Public receptiveness of vertical axis wind turbines Hui, I., Cain, B., Dabiri, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts
Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in the Belgian Part of the North Sea: Assessing and Managing Effect Spheres of Influence Degraer, S., Brabant, R., Rumes, B. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Taiwanese white dolphins and offshore wind farms Tougaard, J., Mikaelsen, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Hybrid Renewable Energy System with Minimum Noise Wind Turbine Al-Hamidi, H., Asfar, J. Journal Article Wind Energy Noise
Vessel noise cuts down communication space for vocalizing fish and marine mammals Putland, R., Merchant, N., Farcas, A. Journal Article Noise Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals, Fish, Cetaceans
Underwater sound from vessel traffic reduces the effective communication range in Atlantic cod and haddock Stanley, J., Van Parijs, S., Hatch, L. Journal Article Noise Fish
New York State Offshore Wind Master Plan: Fish and Fisheries Study Ecology and Environment, Inc. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
New York State Offshore Wind Master Plan: Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles Study Ecology and Environment, Inc. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Human Dimensions
New York State Offshore Wind Master Plan: Environmental Sensitivity Analysis Ecology and Environment Inc Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Measuring Changes in Ambient Noise Levels from the Installation and Operation of a Surge Wave Energy Converter in the Coastal Ocean Henkel, S., Haxel, J. Report Marine Energy, Wave Noise
The song of Skylarks Alauda arvensis indicates the deterioration of an acoustic environment resulting from wind farm start‐up Szymanski, P., Deoniziak, K., Losak, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds
Good or Bad Vibrations? Impacts of Anthropogenic Vibration on the Marine Epibenthos Roberts, L., Elliott, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Marine Energy Noise Invertebrates
Bubble Curtains Attenuate Noise from Offshore Wind Farm Construction and Reduce Temporary Habitat Loss for Harbour Porpoises Dähne, M., Tougaard, J., Carstensen, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Acoustic Assessment of SIMRAD EK60 High Frequency Echo Sounder Signals (120 & 200 kHz) in the Context of Marine Mammal Monitoring Risch, D., Wilson, B., Lepper, P. Report Noise Marine Mammals
Towards energy landscapes – “Pathfinder for sustainable wind power locations” Eichhorn, M., Tafarte, P., Thran, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions
The Importance of a Multi-Method Monitoring Approach to Assess the Effects of Anthropogenic Activity on Harbour Porpoises Maldini, D., Foley, A., Culloch, R. Conference Paper Marine Energy Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Mammalian Mesocarnivore Visitation at Tortoise Burrows in a Wind Farm Agha, M., Smith, A., Lovich, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise, Avoidance Terrestrial Mammals, Reptiles
A Framework for Regulating Underwater Noise During Pile Driving Andersson, M., Andersson, S., Ahlsén, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals
Grassland bird community and acoustic complexity appear unaffected by proximity to a wind energy facility in the Nebraska Sandhills Raynor, E., Whalen, C., Brown, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise Birds
Automatic Detection of Humpback Whales and Localization of Sperm Whales during Marine Seismic Survey L'Her, C., Vallez, S., Gouriou, M. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Making Marine Noise Pollution Impacts Heard: The Case of Cetaceans in the North Sea within Life Cycle Impact Assessment Middel, H., Verones, F. Journal Article Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Widely used marine seismic survey air gun operations negatively impact zooplankton McCauley, R., Day, R., Swadling, K. Journal Article Noise
Using the Interim PCoD framework to assess the potential impacts of offshore wind developments in Eastern English Waters on harbour porpoises in the North Sea Booth, C., Harwood, J., Plunkett, R. Report Wind Energy Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Underwater operational noise level emitted by a tidal current turbine and its potential impact on marine fauna Lossent, J., Gervaise, C., Iorio, L. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Developing an essential ocean variable for the acoustic environment Tyack, P. Journal Article Noise
Broad-Scale Acoustic Monitoring for Cetaceans and Underwater Noise in Relation to Offshore Wind Farm Construction in Scotland Brookes, K., Edwards, E., Merchant, N. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Operational Noise from Tidal Turbine Arrays and the Assessment of Collision Risk with Marine Mammals Marmo, B. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Collision, Noise Marine Mammals
Acoustic Life Cycle Assessment of Offshore Renewables - Implications from a Wave-Energy Converter Deployment in Falmouth Bay, UK Blondel, P., Walsh, J. Journal Article Wave, Marine Energy Noise
Onset of Barotrauma Injuries Related to Number of Pile Driving Strike Exposures in Hybrid Striped Bass Casper, B., Halvorsen, M., Carlson, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Marine Energy Noise Fish, Demersal Fish
Effects of hydrokinetic turbine sound on the behavior of four species of fish within an experimental mesocosm Schramm, M., Bevelhimer, M., Scherelis, C. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish
Responses of bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises to impact and vibration piling noise during harbor construction Graham, I., Pirotta, E., Merchant, N. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Annual environmental report 2016 - Belwind Belwind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals
Behavioral Responses of a Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) to Sounds from an Acoustic Porpoise Deterrent Kastelein, R., Huybrechts, J., Covi, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
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