title: BIAS: A Regional Management of Underwater Sound in the Baltic Sea.
abstract: Management of the impact of underwater sound is an emerging concern worldwide. Several countries are in the process of implementing regulatory legislations. In Europe, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive was launched in 2008. This framework addresses noise impacts and the recommendation is to deal with it on a regional level. The Baltic Sea is a semienclosed area with nine states bordering the sea. The number of ships is one of the highest in Europe. Furthermore, the number of ships is estimated to double by 2030. Undoubtedly, due to the unbound character of noise, an efficient management of sound in the Baltic Sea must be done on a regional scale. In line with the European Union directive, the Baltic Sea Information on the Acoustic Soundscape (BIAS) project was established to implement Descriptor 11 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in the Baltic Sea region. BIAS will develop tools, standards, and methodologies that will allow for cross-border handling of data and results, measure sound in 40 locations for 1 year, establish a seasonal soundscape map by combining measured sound with advanced three-dimensional modeling, and, finally, establish standards for measuring continuous sound. Results from the first phase of BIAS are presented here, with an emphasis on standards and soundscape mapping as well as the challenges related to regional handling.
authors.affiliation: Swedish Defence Research Agency, Stockholm, 164 90, Sweden. peters@foi.se.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sigray
authors.affiliation: Swedish Defence Research Agency, Stockholm, 164 90, Sweden. mathias.andersson@foi.se.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, 00251, Finland. jukka.pajala@ymparisto.fi.
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pajala
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanics, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, 19086, Estonia. janek.laanearu@ttu.ee.
authors.forename: Janek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laanearu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanics, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, 19086, Estonia. aleksander.klauson@ttu.ee.
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klauson
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Geology, Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk, 46, Gdansk, Poland. j.tegowski@ug.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Jaroslaw
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tegowski
authors.affiliation: Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), Hamburg, 203 59, Germany. maria.boehtling@bsh.de.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boethling
authors.affiliation: Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), Hamburg, 203 59, Germany. jens.fischer@bsh.de.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark. jat@dmu.dk.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tougaard
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, 5230, Denmark. magnus@biology.sdu.dk.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wahlberg
authors.affiliation: AquaBiota Water Research, Stockholm, 115 50, Sweden. anna.nikolopoulos@aquabiota.se.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nikolopoulos
authors.affiliation: Quiet-Oceans, Plouzané, 29280, France. thomas.folegot@quiet-oceans.com.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Folegot
authors.affiliation: Institute for Technical and Applied Physics (ITAP), Oldenburg, 26129, Germany. matuschek@itap.de.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matuschek
authors.affiliation: Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) Ltd., Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SR, UK. Ursula@verfuss.com.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Verfuss
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D005843:Geography; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012015:Reference Standards; D012623:Seawater; D012767:Ships; D013016:Sound
keywords: Acoustic noise; Acoustic standards; Management; Marine strategy framework directive; Soundscape