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: 1450

Searches title and abstract.
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Improving decisionmaking in relation to offshore wind priority knowledge and decision support needs for Australia Australian Marine Conservation Society Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions
Sediment-Borne Wave Disturbances and Propagation and Potential Effects on Benthic Fauna Giordano, B., Amaral, J., Guan, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Fish, Demersal Fish
Offshore wind FAQs Australian Marine Conservation Society Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Tidal Stream Energy Project: Collision Risk Data and Evidence Summary Phillips, E., Wren, S., King, G. Report Marine Energy, Tidal Avoidance, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Sustainability Assessment of an Oscillating Water Column During the Design, Installation, Operation, and Disassembly Phases Gallego-Ramírez, C., López-Mosquera, J., Chica, E. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wave Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Wind Turbines and Health Clean Energy Council Summary Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise Human Dimensions
Offshore Wind Energy in Canada: Charting an Ecologically Sustainable Future from International Law and Policy Coordinates and State Practices Alikhani, M. Thesis Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Noise Bats, Birds
Cognitive neuroscience approach to explore the impact of wind turbine noise on various mental functions Rosciszewska, A., Buszkiewicz, M., Dobrzynska-Kobylec, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise Human Dimensions
Assessing the potential acoustic impact of floating offshore wind farms in the Central Mediterranean Sea Baldachini, M., Pace, F., Buscaino, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Adrift in the California Current Survey: Passive Acoustic Monitoring in the California Current using Drifting Recorders Rankin, S., Burger, K., Hom-Weaver, C. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Sea Turtle Acoustic Ecology: Addressing Priority Data Gaps in Knowledge of Sea Turtle Hearing Sensitivity Muirhead, C., Piniak, W., Nowacek, D. Report Noise Reptiles, Sea Turtles
ScotMER 7th Symposium 2025: WREN Marine Scotland Presentation Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Bats, Birds, Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
ScotMER 7th Symposium 2025: Marine Mammals & Underwater Noise Marine Scotland Presentation Wind Energy Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds
Outlook on the development of eco-friendly offshore renewable energy technologies Sun, P., Jiang, Z., Chen, Y. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning
Hywind Tampen Floating Offshore Wind - Sound Source Characterisation of Operational Floating Turbines Welch, S., Burns, R., Lumsden, C. Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Ecosystem Processes
Guidance for Monitoring and Reporting of Underwater Noise Chumbinho, R. Report Marine Energy, Wind Energy Noise Ecosystem Processes, Marine Mammals
Soundscape research in wind farms: A state of art review Xu, X., Tong, H., Kang, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Human Dimensions
SafeWave Deliverable 3.2 Sound Propagation Modelling Gambin, J.A.G., Topon, K.A.S., Felis, I. Report Marine Energy, Wave Noise
Prediction of operating offshore wind farms underwater noise from reanalysis of single point underwater noise measurement Firjatullah, M., Brodjonegoro, I., Bakti, F. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Noise Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Sensitivity Mapping of Relative Risks to Bats from Danish Offshore Wind Energy Brinkløv, S., Uebel, A., Fjederholt, E. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Noise Bats
Assessing the potential impacts of floating Offshore Wind Farms on policy-relevant species: A case study in the Gulf of Roses, NW Mediterranean Wawrzynkowski, P., Molins, C., Lloret, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Marine Mammals
Which is worse for wildlife, wind farms or oil drilling? Hardach, S. Magazine Article Wind Energy Attraction, Collision, Displacement, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals
Can aerodynamic noise from large offshore wind turbines affect marine life? Botero-Bolivar, L., Marino, O., de Frutos, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Investigating the influence of a bubble curtain on the underwater sound wave field generated by offshore pile driving Bohne, T., Rolfes, R. Journal Article Wind Energy Noise
Glider Surveillance for Near-Real-Time Detection and Spatial Management of North Atlantic Right Whales Indeck, K., Baumgartner, M., Lecavalier, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Entanglement, Noise, Vessel Strike Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Environmental Effects of Offshore Wind Energy in the Gulf of Mexico: Compilation of Educational Research Briefs [Booklet] Severy, M., Farr, H., Richlen, M. Summary Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Evaluating Tools and Technologies for Monitoring Baleen Whales During Offshore Wind Foundation Installation Szesciorka, A., Severy, M., Ampela, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Underwater Operational Noise from Floating Wind Turbines: A Case Study in Hywind Tampen Offshore Park Bakhoday-Paskyabi, M., de Yong, K., Palm, A. Presentation Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Fish, Pelagic Fish
An analysis of self-reported sleep disturbance from nighttime wind turbine noise suggests minimal effects but highlights the need for standardization in research design Michaud, D., Guay, M., Keith, S. Journal Article Wind Energy Noise
System impacts of wind energy developments: Key research challenges and opportunities McKenna, R., Lilliestam, J., Heinrichs, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Diadromous Fish in the Context of Offshore Wind – Review of Current Knowledge & Future Research Honkanen, H., Moore, I., Roger, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind EMF, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish
A Fuzzy Logic Technique for the Environmental Impact Assessment of Marine Renewable Energy Power Plants Flores, P., Mendoza, E. Journal Article Marine Energy, Ocean Current, OTEC, Tidal, Wave Attraction, Avoidance, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Visual Impacts
Marine Fish Passage: Underappreciated Threats to Connectivity Within the Marine Environment Lennox, R., Birnie-Gauvin, K., Bate, C. Journal Article Marine Energy, Riverine, Tidal, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning
Floating Offshore Wind Energy Infrastructure Nielsen, K., Robertson, B., Sierman, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Stakeholder Engagement
Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary Song, Z., Fu, W., Li, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Developing the Offshore Wind that Birds Need Seavy, N., Wojcicki, S., Madden, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Lighting, Noise Birds, Passerines, Seabirds, Shorebirds, Waterfowl, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
Underwater noise from the construction phase of offshore wind parks Karlsson, P. Thesis Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Fish, Marine Mammals
Post Access Report: Acoustic Particle Velocity Measurements around a Tidal Current Turbine University of Washington Report Marine Energy, Tidal Noise
SafeWave Deliverable 3.4 Synthesis of Knowledge Acquired and Gap Analysis Garcia, J., Felis, I., de Santiago, I. Report Marine Energy, Wave Changes in Flow, EMF, Noise
SafeWave Deliverable 2.7 Development Of Guidelines For Environmental Monitoring Muxika, I., Bourhis, E., Felis, I. Report Marine Energy, Wave EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Fish, Physical Environment
Displaying 81 - 120 of 1450 results