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Marine Renewable Energy Technology and Environmental Interactions pp 111–126Cite as

Rethinking Underwater Sound-Recording Methods to Work at Tidal-Stream and Wave-Energy Sites

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Part of the book series: Humanity and the Sea ((HUMSEA))

Abstract

Commercial-scale devices to extract energy from tidal streams and waves may be new, but an associated industry is developing fast. In most countries, device introduction will require investigation and some level of proof that they do not unduly harm local wildlife. Of the impacts that they might have, the emission of acoustic energy (noise) into the marine environment is important. In operation, it is possible, though unlikely, that they will emit sufficient noise to cause auditory damage to sensitive species, but some level of area avoidance/attraction and masking is likely. Nevertheless, all such devices will require perceivable acoustic signatures for animals to detect and avoid colliding with them. To understand these issues, information on operational device acoustic characteristics is required along with information on existing background noise levels at sites suitable for extraction of marine energy. However, the energetic features of these locations with intense lateral, vertical or oscillatory motion mean that conventional methods of underwater sound recording are unsuitable. Here new methods for sound measurement specifically tailored to tidal-stream and wave-energy sites are introduced. The methods are illustrated following performance tests and real measurements at the European Marine Energy Centre tidal test site in Orkney, UK.

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Acknowledgements

We thank those involved in the development of these acoustic methods. The need to generate monitoring methods was initiated by the European Marine Energy Centre, particularly Jenny Norris, Matthew Finn, David Cowan and Dave Cousins, for whose guidance and facilitation we are grateful. Funding for the work came from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the Scottish Government, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) RESPONSE project NE/J004251/1. We also thank Ed Harland (Chickerell BioAcoustics), Gordon Hastie (SMRU) and Nicola Quick (SMRU Marine), Pelamis Wave Power and E.ON for their support. For help with fieldwork and analyses, we thank Kenny Black, Jim Elliott, Steve Gontarek and Steven Benjamins (SAMS), Steve Vile and his crew (Explorer Fast Sea Charters) and the Flamborough Light crew. Finally, we acknowledge the steadfast patience of guest editor Mark Shields throughout the drafting process and the valued suggestions for improvements from two anonymous referees.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), PA37 1QA, Oban, Argyll, UK

    Ben Wilson & Caroline Carter

  2. School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK

    Paul A. Lepper

  3. National Physical Laboratory (NPL), TW11 0LW, Teddington, Middlesex, UK

    Stephen P. Robinson

Authors
  1. Ben Wilson
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  2. Paul A. Lepper
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  3. Caroline Carter
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  4. Stephen P. Robinson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ben Wilson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Aberdeen, Newburgh, United Kingdom

    Mark A. Shields

  2. A&B Word Ltd, Halesworth, Suffolk, United Kingdom

    Andrew I.L. Payne

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Wilson, B., Lepper, P., Carter, C., Robinson, S. (2014). Rethinking Underwater Sound-Recording Methods to Work at Tidal-Stream and Wave-Energy Sites. In: Shields, M., Payne, A. (eds) Marine Renewable Energy Technology and Environmental Interactions. Humanity and the Sea. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8002-5_9

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