title: Soundscape and Noise Exposure Monitoring in a Marine Protected Area Using Shipping Data and Time-Lapse Footage.
abstract: We review recent work that developed new techniques for underwater noise assessment that integrate acoustic monitoring with automatic identification system (AIS) shipping data and time-lapse video, meteorological, and tidal data. Two sites were studied within the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for bottlenose dolphins, where increased shipping traffic is expected from construction of offshore wind farms outside the SAC. Noise exposure varied markedly between the sites, and natural and anthropogenic contributions were characterized using multiple data sources. At one site, AIS-operating vessels accounted for total cumulative sound exposure (0.1-10 kHz), suggesting that noise modeling using the AIS would be feasible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK. nathan.merchant@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nathan D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Merchant
authors.affiliation: Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire, IV11 8YL, UK. enrico.pirotta@abdn.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pirotta
authors.affiliation: Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire, IV11 8YL, UK. t.r.barton@abdn.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Tim R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.affiliation: Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire, IV11 8YL, UK. lighthouse@abdn.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D001331:Automation; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005843:Geography; D009622:Noise; D012606:Scotland; D012767:Ships; D059008:Time-Lapse Imaging / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Acoustic disturbance; Automatic identification system data; Marine mammals; Renewable energy; Ship noise