“So, Am I Correct in My Understanding That a Decibel Is the Same as a Hertz?”: The Quest for Informed, Objective Environmental Impact Analysis of Marine Anthropogenic Noise

Abstract

Environmental impact assessment and evaluation, no matter how rigorous the underlying scientific research and analysis, is fundamentally and unavoidably a question of values judged within prevailing social, economic, cultural, and legal frameworks. Whatever researchers and professional environmental scientists may discern, even if done in a totally dispassionate, definitive, and objective manner, decisions will be based on other values and imperatives (hopefully) using the scientific data and analysis as illumination. In the arcane, often speculative arena of marine anthropogenic noise and its ecological effects, the need for decision makers to have a clear and effective understanding of the technical aspects of the subject is pivotal to the making of sensible, risk-based assessments and conclusions. Alas, this ideal is often not achieved, with less than optimal consequences for rational assessments and application of pragmatic management measures. This situation invariably results in the inefficient allocation of finite resources.