Best Practices for Baseline Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Offshore Wind Development
Abstract
Baseline data are critical to assess potential disturbances to the environment. In
the absence of baseline data, it is impossible to accurately quantify anthropogenic
impacts. Instances in which baseline data were not collected have left critical gaps
in knowledge for researchers and environmental managers attempting to comprehend impacts
to the environment and mitigate those impacts.
The anticipated proliferation of offshore wind energy projects in the United States
represents both a critical data need and an opportunity to apply the lessons of the
past. Offshore wind projects are expected to increase significantly in number and
magnitude, amplifying their potential impact on the marine environment. This impact
can only be accurately measured if the environment is characterized prior to wind
farm development, so it can be compared to data collected during construction and
operational phases.
Data collection can be particularly challenging in the marine environment. Passive
acoustic monitoring (PAM) provides a useful way to track long-term trends in natural
biological and human activities at sea because many of these processes and animal
behaviors are accompanied by, or depend upon, sound. Thus PAM provides a unique opportunity
to track noise levels, biological activities, and to characterize the local marine
soundscape before, during and after wind farm development.
This Masters project points to research demonstrating the utility of baseline data
collection and reviews the current literature related to the use of baseline PAM at
offshore wind projects. Methods for accommodating the limitations of PAM are addressed
and best practices are suggested for the use of passive acoustics to effectively characterize
the marine environment in relation to future offshore wind development.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6861Citation
Carduner, Jordan (2013). Best Practices for Baseline Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Offshore Wind Development.
Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6861.Collections
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