Underwater Acoustic Pollution: Sources and Biological Impact

Humans perceived underwater noise in a limited way, which has led him to make a abuse use of some systems that perturb the underwater environment such as dredging, drilling, oil and gas production , shipping, active sonar , oceanographic research, etc. All these actions produce underwater noise pollution.

Noise pollution, as well as magnetic and electrical pollution, affects the flora and fauna of the seas and oceans from the moment that hinder the development of habitual behavior of living beings.

In this scenario SAES is developing the project USMA ( Underwater Signature Monitoring and Analysis Centre), which aims to develop technologies, equipment and establish rules to acoustic, magnetic, electrical and seismic unconventional contamination, and ensure compliance with the European marine Strategy framework Directive. Due to its characteristics, USMA could be developed within the framework European Horizon 2020 (H2020) program.

The following article, where the main sources of acoustic noise and its characteristics are presented, belongs to the set of investigations that SAES has done in this field.

Underwater_Acoustic_Pollution_Sources_and_Biological_Impact_(SAES)