Sound exposure in harbour seals during the installation of an offshore wind farm: predictions of auditory damage
Sound exposure in harbour seals during the installation of an offshore wind farm: predictions of auditory damage
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DOI：
10.1111/1365-2664.12403
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发表时间：
2015-06-01
影响因子：
5.7
通讯作者：
Janik, Vincent M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hastie, Gordon D.;Russell, Deborah J. F.;Janik, Vincent M.
随着雄心勃勃的可再生能源目标，与海上风电场建设相关的打桩将在海洋环境中广泛应用。许多拟建的风电场与海豹的分布重叠，打桩产生的声音有可能造成听觉损伤。我们报告的行为研究，在建设一个风力发电场使用的数据从GPS/GSM标签上的24个港口海豹Phoca vitulina L。打桩数据和声传播模型，以及密封运动和潜水数据，允许预测每个密封件的听觉损伤。结合听觉损伤的生长和恢复函数来预测每个密封中的暂时听阈变化。此外，计算M加权累积声音暴露水平[cSELs（M-pw）]，并将其与暴露于脉冲声的水中鳍足类的永久听觉阈值偏移暴露标准进行比较。每个密封件到打桩的最近距离从47到405 km不等，预测的最大cSEL（M-pw）范围为1707到1953 dB re 1 Pa（2）-s。与暴露标准的比较表明，一半的密封超过了估计的永久性听觉损伤阈值。海洋哺乳动物听觉损伤的预测是一个快速发展的领域，有许多关键的不确定性与之相关，其中包括声音如何在浅水环境中传播，以及脉冲声对海豹听力的影响;因此，我们的预测应该在这种情况下看待。政策影响。我们预测，有一半的标记海豹收到的打桩噪音水平超过了鳍足动物的听觉损伤阈值。这些结果对海上工业有影响，对政策制定者制定打桩指南具有重要意义。开发工程解决方案，以降低声源的声级，或阻止动物进入损害风险区的方法，或改变打桩的时间模式，都可能降低听觉损害风险。未来的工作应该集中在验证这些预测，通过收集听觉阈值信息前和后暴露于打桩。最后，暴露于打桩的人口水平的影响的信息是必需的，以确保海上工业是在环境上可持续的marty.We预测，一半的标记的海豹收到打桩超过听觉损伤阈值的阈值。这些结果对海上工业有影响，对政策制定者制定打桩指南具有重要意义。开发工程解决方案，以降低声源的声级，或阻止动物进入损害风险区的方法，或改变打桩的时间模式，都可能降低听觉损害风险。未来的工作应该集中在验证这些预测，通过收集听觉阈值信息前和后暴露于打桩。最后，需要关于打桩对人口影响的信息，以确保以环境可持续的方式发展近海工业。
With ambitious renewable energy targets, pile driving associated with offshore wind farm construction will become widespread in the marine environment. Many proposed wind farms overlap with the distribution of seals, and sound from pile driving has the potential to cause auditory damage. We report on a behavioural study during the construction of a wind farm using data from GPS/GSM tags on 24 harbour seals Phoca vitulina L. Pile driving data and acoustic propagation models, together with seal movement and dive data, allowed the prediction of auditory damage in each seal. Growth and recovery functions for auditory damage were combined to predict temporary auditory threshold shifts in each seal. Further, M-weighted cumulative sound exposure levels [cSELs(M-pw)] were calculated and compared to permanent auditory threshold shift exposure criteria for pinnipeds in water exposed to pulsed sounds. The closest distance of each seal to pile driving varied from 47 to 405km, and predicted maximum cSELs(M-pw) ranged from 1707 to 1953 dB re 1Pa(2)-s for individual seals. Comparison to exposure criteria suggests that half of the seals exceeded estimated permanent auditory damage thresholds. Prediction of auditory damage in marine mammals is a rapidly evolving field and has a number of key uncertainties associated with it. These include how sound propagates in shallow water environments and the effects of pulsed sounds on seal hearing; as such, our predictions should be viewed in this context.Policy implications. We predicted that half of the tagged seals received sound levels from pile driving that exceeded auditory damage thresholds for pinnipeds. These results have implications for offshore industry and will be important for policymakers developing guidance for pile driving. Developing engineering solutions to reduce sound levels at source or methods to deter animals from damage risk zones, or changing temporal patterns of piling could potentially reduce auditory damage risk. Future work should focus on validating these predictions by collecting auditory threshold information pre- and post-exposure to pile driving. Ultimately, information on population-level impacts of exposure to pile driving is required to ensure that offshore industry is developed in an environmentally sustainable manner.We predicted that half of the tagged seals received sound levels from pile driving that exceeded auditory damage thresholds for pinnipeds. These results have implications for offshore industry and will be important for policymakers developing guidance for pile driving. Developing engineering solutions to reduce sound levels at source or methods to deter animals from damage risk zones, or changing temporal patterns of piling could potentially reduce auditory damage risk. Future work should focus on validating these predictions by collecting auditory threshold information pre- and post-exposure to pile driving. Ultimately, information on population-level impacts of exposure to pile driving is required to ensure that offshore industry is developed in an environmentally sustainable manner.