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Characterizing the Relative Contributions of Large Vessels to Total Ocean Noise Fields: A Case Study Using the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

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An Erratum to this article was published on 03 October 2009

An Erratum to this article was published on 03 October 2009

Abstract

In 2006, we used the U.S. Coast Guard’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) to describe patterns of large commercial ship traffic within a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary located off the coast of Massachusetts. We found that 541 large commercial vessels transited the greater sanctuary 3413 times during the year. Cargo ships, tankers, and tug/tows constituted 78% of the vessels and 82% of the total transits. Cargo ships, tankers, and cruise ships predominantly used the designated Boston Traffic Separation Scheme, while tug/tow traffic was concentrated in the western and northern portions of the sanctuary. We combined AIS data with low-frequency acoustic data from an array of nine autonomous recording units analyzed for 2 months in 2006. Analysis of received sound levels (10–1000 Hz, root-mean-square pressure re 1 μPa ± SE) averaged 119.5 ± 0.3 dB at high-traffic locations. High-traffic locations experienced double the acoustic power of less trafficked locations for the majority of the time period analyzed. Average source level estimates (71–141 Hz, root-mean-square pressure re 1 μPa ± SE) for individual vessels ranged from 158 ± 2 dB (research vessel) to 186 ± 2 dB (oil tanker). Tankers were estimated to contribute 2 times more acoustic power to the region than cargo ships, and more than 100 times more than research vessels. Our results indicate that noise produced by large commercial vessels was at levels and within frequencies that warrant concern among managers regarding the ability of endangered whales to maintain acoustic contact within greater sanctuary waters.

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Acknowledgments

This work was made possible by funding to Leila Hatch and David Wiley by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust and the International Fund for Animal Welfare through the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and by funding to Christopher Clark from the U.S. NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program and the U.S. NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Regional Office. We are grateful to Deborah Lenahan and Brian Reckenbeil for processing of AIS data, to Adam Frankel for advice regarding acoustic modeling, and to Kathryn Cortopassi and additional staff from Cornell University’s Bioacoustics Research Program for hardware and software support for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 175 Edward Foster Road, Scituate, MA, 02066, USA

    Leila Hatch, Michael Thompson & David Wiley

  2. Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Christopher Clark & Dimitri Ponirakis

  3. Northeast Fisheries Science Center, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

    Richard Merrick & Sofie Van Parijs

  4. Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping Joint Hydrographic Center, University of New Hampshire, 24 Colovos Road, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Kurt Schwehr

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  1. Leila Hatch
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  2. Christopher Clark
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  3. Richard Merrick
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  7. Michael Thompson
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  8. David Wiley
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Correspondence to Leila Hatch.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9386-5

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Hatch, L., Clark, C., Merrick, R. et al. Characterizing the Relative Contributions of Large Vessels to Total Ocean Noise Fields: A Case Study Using the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Environmental Management 42, 735–752 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9169-4

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