Underwater sound of rigid-hulled inflatable boats

Erbe, Christine; Liong, Syafrin; Koessler, Matthew Walter; Duncan, Alec J.; Gourlay, Tim

doi:10.1121/1.4954411

Cited by 36 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The shallow bathymetry in this system did significantly limit the propagation of boat noise. Most boat noise that we detected was restricted to above 1 kHz, yet it is very well known that the majority of noise generated by boats is below 1 kHz (Erbe et al 2016;Simard et al 2016;Veirs et al 2016). In deeper water, boat noise would have added significantly to our lower frequency band, but this did not happen in this system.…”

Section: Biophonymentioning

confidence: 71%

The summer soundscape of a shallow-water estuary used by beluga whales in the western Canadian Arctic

et al. 2020

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The soundscape is an important habitat component for marine animals. In the Arctic, marine conditions are changing rapidly due to sea ice loss and increased anthropogenic activities such as shipping, which will influence the soundscape. Here, we assess the contributors to the summer soundscape in the shallow waters of the Mackenzie River estuary within the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area in the western Canadian Arctic, a core summering habitat for beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas Pallas, 1776). We collected passive acoustic data during the summer over four years, and assessed the influence of physical variables, beluga whale vocalizations, and boat noise on sound pressure levels in three frequency bands (low: 0.2-1 kHz; medium: 1-10 kHz; high: 10-48 kHz) to quantify the soundscape. Wind speed, wave height, beluga vocalizations, and boat noise were all large contributors to the soundscape in various frequency bands. The soundscape varied to a lesser degree between sites, time of day, and with tide height, but remained relatively constant between years. This study is the first detailed description of a shallow summer soundscape in the western Canadian Arctic, an important habitat for beluga whales, and can be used as a baseline to monitor future changes during this season.

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Section: Biophonymentioning

confidence: 71%

The summer soundscape of a shallow-water estuary used by beluga whales in the western Canadian Arctic

et al. 2020

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“…In fact, the extreme variation in vessel sounds was in marked contrast to the much lower variability in characteristics of prominent biotic sounds, such as shrimp snaps and fish calls, which were of comparatively predictable duration and frequency. The high variability in vessel acoustic features is a result of differences in vessel type, speed and behavior; the physical characteristics of the environment; and varying distances from the receiver (see Erbe, 2013;Erbe et al, 2016a for variability of underwater noise from jetskis and small boats with outboard motors, which are the most common type of vessel in the Swan River). For example, some vessels produced bursts of low-frequency "revs" with relatively few harmonics, whilst others produced mid-frequency tonal sounds with several harmonics for a few minutes, and many dominated the entire frequency band for the whole recording period of 10 min.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the spectro-temporal structures of these sounds differ considerably. Whilst colonies of snapping shrimp produce frequent impulsive broadband clicks, each lasting a few milliseconds, vessels produce continuous broadband noise from propeller cavitation and long-lasting tonal sounds due to engine and propeller rotations (e.g., Erbe et al, 2016a). Propeller cavitation is a stochastic process, and the resulting power spectrum has characteristics of pink noise.…”

Section: Relevance To Dolphin Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Acoustic Habitat of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) within a Highly Urbanized Estuary

et al. 2017

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“…In Sydney Harbour, 70% of overall vessel traffic is comprised of recreational boats (Widmer and Underwood, 2004). Noise from small boats peaks at higher frequencies (e.g., Erbe, 2013;Erbe et al, 2016b) at which coastal odontocetes are more sensitive (e.g., Houser and Finneran, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This review provides an overview of the field of watercraft noise impacts on marine mammals, explains the fundamental physical and biological concepts, highlights common issues and problems, identifies data gaps, and discusses research needs. (Erbe, 2013;Erbe et al, 2016b). Large and powerful watercraft such as ferries, container ships, and icebreakers have source levels of 200 dB re 1 µPa m and more (e.g., Erbe and Farmer, 2000;Simard et al, 2016;Gassmann et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Ship Noise on Marine Mammals—A Review

et al. 2019

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The number of marine watercraft is on the rise-from private boats in coastal areas to commercial ships crossing oceans. A concomitant increase in underwater noise has been reported in several regions around the globe. Given the important role sound plays in the life functions of marine mammals, research on the potential effects of vessel noise has grown-in particular since the year 2000. We provide an overview of this literature, showing that studies have been patchy in terms of their coverage of species, habitats, vessel types, and types of impact investigated. The documented effects include behavioral and acoustic responses, auditory masking, and stress. We identify knowledge gaps: There appears a bias to more easily accessible species (i.e., bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales), whereas there is a paucity of literature addressing vessel noise impacts on river dolphins, even though some of these species experience chronic noise from boats. Similarly, little is known about the potential effects of ship noise on pelagic and deep-diving marine mammals, even though ship noise is focused in a downward direction, reaching great depth at little acoustic loss and potentially coupling into sound propagation channels in which sound may transmit over long ranges. We explain the fundamental concepts involved in the generation and propagation of vessel noise and point out common problems with both physics and biology: Recordings of ship noise might be affected by unidentified artifacts, and noise exposure can be both under-and over-estimated by tens of decibel if the local sound propagation conditions are not considered. The lack of anthropogenic (e.g., different vessel types), environmental (e.g., different sea states or presence/absence of prey), and biological (e.g., different demographics) controls is a common problem, as is a lack of understanding what constitutes the 'normal' range of behaviors. Last but not least, the biological significance of observed responses is mostly unknown. Moving forward, standards on study design, data analysis, and reporting are badly needed so that results are comparable (across space and time) and so that data can be synthesized to address the grand unknowns: the role of context and the consequences of chronic exposures.

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Underwater sound of rigid-hulled inflatable boats

Cited by 36 publications

References 10 publications

The summer soundscape of a shallow-water estuary used by beluga whales in the western Canadian Arctic

The summer soundscape of a shallow-water estuary used by beluga whales in the western Canadian Arctic

Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Acoustic Habitat of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) within a Highly Urbanized Estuary

The Effects of Ship Noise on Marine Mammals—A Review

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