Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA.
J Acoust Soc Am. 2024 Oct 1;156(4):2200-2210. doi: 10.1121/10.0030404.
Offshore windfarms are a key means to produce clean energy as we seek to limit climate change effects. Impulsive pile driving used for their construction in shallow water environments is among the most intense anthropogenic sound sources. There is an increasing understanding that an array of marine invertebrates detects acoustic cues, yet little is known about how pile driving sound could impact their sound detection abilities. We experimentally quantified potential changes in sound sensitivity for an abundant, commercially and ecologically important squid species (Doryteuthis pealeii) exposed to actual in situ pile driving. The pile was 0.3-m diameter and 10-m long; hammer energy reached 16 kJ per strike. Sound detection thresholds were determined using auditory evoked potentials in animals with no exposure, after one 15-min or five repeated 15-min long pile driving sound sequences, corresponding to cumulative sound exposure levels of 110 and 131 dB re (1 μm s-2)2 s for acceleration and 187 and 214 dB re (1 μPa)2 s for pressure. We found no statistical evidence of temporary threshold shifts in any squid exposed to pile driving sound sequences. These results, combined with companion behavioral studies, suggest that squid may be robust to the sound impacts during offshore windfarm construction.
海上风电场是我们寻求限制气候变化影响时生产清洁能源的一种重要手段。在浅水环境中建造海上风电场时使用的冲击桩驱动是最强烈的人为声源之一。人们越来越认识到，一系列海洋无脊椎动物可以检测到声线索，但对于打桩声如何影响它们的声检测能力知之甚少。我们通过将实际的现场打桩暴露于实验中，定量评估了丰富的、具有商业和生态重要性的鱿鱼物种（Doryteuthis pealeii）对声音敏感性的潜在变化。桩的直径为 0.3 米，长 10 米；锤子能量达到每击 16kJ。使用听觉诱发电位在未暴露于声音的动物中确定了声音检测阈值，然后在一个 15 分钟或五个重复的 15 分钟长的打桩声音序列后，分别对应于加速度为 110 和 131dB re（1μm s-2）2 s 和压力为 187 和 214dB re（1μPa）2 s 的累积声暴露水平。我们没有发现任何暴露于打桩声音序列的鱿鱼出现暂时阈值偏移的统计证据。这些结果与伴随的行为研究相结合，表明鱿鱼在海上风电场建设期间可能对声音影响具有很强的适应能力。
