University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2010 Jun;60(6):888-97. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.01.003. Epub 2010 Feb 11.
Marine renewable developments have raised concerns over impacts of underwater noise on marine species, particularly from pile-driving for wind turbines. Environmental assessments typically use generic sound propagation models, but empirical tests of these models are lacking. In 2006, two 5MW wind turbines were installed off NE Scotland. The turbines were in deep (>40m) water, 25km from the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation (SAC), potentially affecting a protected population of bottlenose dolphins. We measured pile-driving noise at distances of 0.1 (maximum broadband peak to peak sound level 205dB re 1microPa) to 80km (no longer distinguishable above background noise). These sound levels were related to noise exposure criteria for marine mammals to assess possible effects. For bottlenose dolphins, auditory injury would only have occurred within 100m of the pile-driving and behavioural disturbance, defined as modifications in behaviour, could have occurred up to 50km away.
海洋可再生能源的开发引发了人们对于水下噪声对海洋物种影响的担忧，特别是对于风力涡轮机的打桩作业。环境评估通常使用通用的声音传播模型，但这些模型的实证测试却很缺乏。2006 年，两台 5MW 的风力涡轮机在苏格兰东北部安装。这些涡轮机位于水深超过 40 米的地方，距离设得兰群岛特别保护区（SAC）25 公里，可能会影响到受保护的宽吻海豚种群。我们在 0.1 公里（最大宽带峰值峰值声级 205dB 重 1microPa）到 80 公里（背景噪声以上不再可分辨）的距离处测量了打桩噪声。这些声级与海洋哺乳动物的噪声暴露标准相关，以评估可能的影响。对于宽吻海豚，听觉损伤只会在打桩作业的 100 米范围内发生，而行为干扰，即行为的改变，可能会在 50 公里之外发生。
