Potential Environmental Effects on Animals from Marine Renewable Energy: Underwater Noise
Animals use sound in the marine environment like humans and animals use light (sight) on land. Underwater sound allows animals to communicate, navigate, interact, forage, and avoid predation. The extent to which marine animals detect and produce sound varies by species and may range across frequencies and sound levels. Marine animals are already subject to sources of anthropogenic noise under water; the addition of sound from marine renewable energy (MRE) devices could induce stress, behavioral changes (such as avoidance), a range of physical injuries, and a temporary or permanent reduction in hearing ability that can mask other sounds. The propagation of sound from MRE devices dissipates with distance from the device, depending on specific ocean conditions and the level of sound generated by each device. Construction activities at sea can create loud underwater noise, while noise from operational MRE devices is much quieter.
This Short Science Summary was developed based on the OES-Environmental 2020 State of the Science Report: Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Development Around the World, specifically Chapter 4: Risk to Marine Animals from Underwater Noise Generated by Marine Renewable Energy Devices.
The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document and will continue to be updated as new literature is added to Tethys.
| Title | Author | Date Sort ascending | Content Type | Technology | Stressor | Receptor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A coupled LES–aeroacoustic framework for predicting hydrodynamic noise from tidal-stream turbines | Botero-Bolívar, L., Ouro, P., Ferrer, E. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Noise | Fish, Marine Mammals | |
| Progressing Tidal Energy Through Organized Data Approaches | Copping, A., Hemery, L., Garavelli, L., Freeman, M. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles | |
| Exploring Particle Motion Near a Wave Energy Converter | Chicco, C., Ceraulo, M., Niosi, F., Giorgi, G., Papale, E., Buscaino, G. | Book Chapter | Marine Energy, Wave | Noise | Fish, Invertebrates | |
| Analysis and control of acoustic emissions from marine energy converters | He, J., Malyi, M., Shek, J. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Noise | Marine Mammals | |
| Environmental Effects Monitoring Program Annual Report 2025 | Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals | |
| Passive Acoustic Monitoring of a Riverine Turbine with Stationary Hydrophones | Cotter, E., Haxel, J., McVey, J. | Report | Marine Energy, Riverine | Noise | ||
| All tide up: addressing the regulatory and environmental barriers affecting tidal energy development in British Columbia | Kelsey, A. | Thesis | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision, EMF, Noise | Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement | |
| Tidal flow masks acoustic detections of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for passive acoustic studies of cetaceans | Veneruso, G., Chapuis, L., Hastie, G., Le Vay, L., Cordes, L. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Noise | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | |
| Misplaced fears? What the evidence reveals of the ecological effects of tidal power generation | Ascher, S., Gray, I., Collins, C. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals | |
| Minimizing environmental risks to progress the marine renewable energy industry | Garavelli, L., Rose, D., Freeman, M., Hemery, L., Farr, H., Copping, A. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy | Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | ||
| Environmental effects of marine renewable energy off-grid and micro-grid applications: a use case approach to assess existing knowledge and remaining uncertainties | Hemery, L., Weicht, L., Copping, A., Garavelli, L. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts | |
| Environmental Risks and Impacts of Offshore Energy: A Literature Review | Pontinha, D., Bispo, L., Gervásio, H., Aktuglu, Y. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy, OTEC, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning | |
| Approaches to understanding effects from particle motion and substrate-borne vibration on fishes and invertebrates | Guan, S., Roberts, L., Haxel, J., Sisneros, J., Popper, A. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Noise | Fish, Invertebrates | |
| Co-evolution of Underwater Noise Measurements and Wave Energy Converter Design | Polagye, B., Bassett, C., Mackey, L. | Presentation | Marine Energy, Wave | Noise | ||
| Sea Space Analysis for Wave and Tidal Energy | Lee, S., Strong, V., Anning, D., Buecker, N., Flanary, C., Chang, G., Escajeda, E. , Kramer, S., Mullany, D. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts | |
| Environmental impact evaluation of an oscillating water column | Rubio-Clemente, A., Gallego-Ramírez, C., Chica, E. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Wave | Habitat Change, Noise | Physical Environment, Human Dimensions | |
| Measuring Marine Electromagnetic Fields: Systems and Applications | D'eu, J., Colin, F., Maisonneuve, C., Weller, A. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy, Wind Energy | EMF, Noise | ||
| Working Group on Marine Benthal and Renewable Energy Developments (WGMBRED; outputs from 2024 meeting)) | Vanaverbeke, J., Coolen, J., Chiarandon, A., Wrede, A., Darr, A., Gill, A., Lipsky, A., Want, A., Murphy, A., Carlier, A., Capet, A., Ibanez-Erquiaga, B., Coral, C., Carey, D., Gamelle, E. , Velasco, E., Kent, F., Martin, G., Adao, H., Dannheim, J., Vogel, C., Degraer, S., Buyse, J., Boutin, K., Kornau, L., Allen-Jacobson, L., Nalmpanti, M., Rasser, M., Desroy, N., Mavraki, N., Causon, P., Vinagre, P., Hofstede, R., Birchenough, S., Bolan, S., Yeuw, T., Wilding, T., Braeckman, U., Janas, U., Spielmann, V., Hutchison, Z. | Report | Marine Energy, Wind Energy | EMF, Noise | Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy | |
| The contribution of the SafeWAVE EU project to the future development of ocean energy | Bald, J., Galparsoro, I., Mandiola, G., de Santiago, I., Menchaca, I., Uyarra, M., Pouso, S., Uriarte, A., Muxika, I., Sobradillo, B., Vinagre, P., Machado, I., Clementino, L., Chainho, P., Correia, J., Soulard, T., Le Bourhis, E., Felis, I., Garcia, A., Verling, E., O'Hagan, A., Dunphy, N., Smith, A., Iglesias, G., Lennon, B., Torre-Enciso, Y., Zubiate, L., Chambel, J., Cardoso, S., Santos, H., Geerinckx, Q., Troussard, C., Tanguy, F., Longeroche, J., Magaldi, P. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind | Changes in Flow, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise | ||
| Immediate and short-term effects of pile-driving on Hector’s dolphin in Lyttelton Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand | Clement, D., Pavanato, H., Lenky, C., Pine, M. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Wind Energy | Noise | Marine Mammals, Cetaceans | |
| Approaches to attributing underwater noise to a wave energy converter | Polagye, B., Hunt, A., Mackey, L., Bassett, C. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Wave | Noise | ||
| Effects and management implications of emerging marine renewable energy technologies | Copping, A., Wood, D., Rumes, B., Zin Ong, E., Golmen, L., Mulholland, R., Harrod, O. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, OTEC, Salinity Gradient | Chemicals, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals | |
| Stressor-Specific Guidance Document: Underwater Noise | OES-Environmental | Report | Marine Energy | Noise | ||
| How do tides affect underwater acoustic propagation? A collaborative approach to improve internal wave modeling at basin to global scales | Schönau, M., Hiron, L., Ragland, J., Raja, K., Skitka, J., Solano, M., Xu, X., Arbic, B., Buijsman, M., Chassignet, E., Coelho, E., Helber, R., Peria, W., Shriver, J., Summers, J., Verlinden, K., Wallcraft, A. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Noise | ||
| Towards more accurate sound field verification using directional acoustic filtering | Barosin, E. , Raghukumar, K. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Noise | ||
| Tidal Stream Energy Project: Collision Risk Data and Evidence Summary | Phillips, E., Wren, S., King, G., San Martin, E. | 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., Rubio-Clemente, A. | 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 | |
| Outlook on the development of eco-friendly offshore renewable energy technologies | Sun, P., Jiang, Z., Chen, Y., Song, X., Pang, Y., Cai, B., Xu, X., Li, 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 | |
| Guidance for Monitoring and Reporting of Underwater Noise | Chumbinho, R. | Report | Marine Energy, Wind Energy | Noise | Ecosystem Processes, Marine Mammals | |
| SafeWave Deliverable 3.2 Sound Propagation Modelling | Gambin, J.A.G., Topon, K.A.S., Felis, I., Mc Allister, A.C., Martinez, P.M., Bald, J., Zubiate, L., Soulard, T., Bourhis, E. | Report | Marine Energy, Wave | Noise | ||
| Marine Fish Passage: Underappreciated Threats to Connectivity Within the Marine Environment | Lennox, R., Birnie-Gauvin, K., Bate, C., Cooke, S. , Haraldstad, T., Berhe, S., Penney, H., Bangley, C., Vollset, K., Piczak, M. | 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Environmental Effects Monitoring Program Annual Report 2024 | Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy | |
| 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., Imperadore, A., Leitão, J., Vinagre, P., Bald, J. | Report | Marine Energy, Wave | Changes in Flow, EMF, Noise | ||
| SafeWave Deliverable 2.6 Data Results and analysis towards impacts' evaluation | Bourhis, E., Soulard, T., Vinagre, P., Clementino, L., Imperadore, A., Muxika, I., Uriarte, A., Bald, J. | Report | Marine Energy, Wave | EMF, Habitat Change, Noise | ||
| SafeWave Deliverable 2.7 Development Of Guidelines For Environmental Monitoring | Muxika, I., Bourhis, E., Felis, I., Imperadore, A., Uriarte, A., Vinagre, P., Bald, J. | Report | Marine Energy, Wave | EMF, Habitat Change, Noise | Fish, Physical Environment | |
| Performance of a Drifting Acoustic Instrumentation SYstem (DAISY) for characterizing radiated noise from marine energy converters | Polagye, B., Crisp, C., Jones, L., Murphy, P., Noe, J., Calandra, G. , Bassett, C. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Noise | ||
| SafeWave Deliverable 2.3 Acoustic Monitoring | Madrid, E., Garcia, J., Er-rachdi, H., Felis, I., Uriarte, A., Bald, J., Vinagre, P., Clementino, L., Zubiate, L., Soulard, T., Bourhis, E., Roseaux, M., Villarín, E. | Report | Marine Energy, Wave | Noise | ||
| Wave and Tidal Energy: Evaluation of Feasibility, Costs, and Benefits Senate Bill 605 Report | Lee, S., Strong, V., Aspen Environmental Group | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data |