Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary
In this study, we recorded the noise radiating from a wind farm and evaluated its potential impact on the fishes and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) residing in the Pearl River Estuary. The pile driving pulses, recorded 30 m from the construction site, had a mean zero-to-peak sound...
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KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Water Biology and Security |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772735124000908 |
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| author | Zhongchang Song Weijie Fu Hongquan Li Yingnan Su Zhanyuan Gao Wenxin Fan Jiangang Hui Wenzhan Ou Shengyao Sun Teng Wang Honghui Huang Yu Zhang |
| author_facet | Zhongchang Song Weijie Fu Hongquan Li Yingnan Su Zhanyuan Gao Wenxin Fan Jiangang Hui Wenzhan Ou Shengyao Sun Teng Wang Honghui Huang Yu Zhang |
| author_sort | Zhongchang Song |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, we recorded the noise radiating from a wind farm and evaluated its potential impact on the fishes and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) residing in the Pearl River Estuary. The pile driving pulses, recorded 30 m from the construction site, had a mean zero-to-peak sound pressure level of 195.1 dB (re 1 μPa) (n = 238), exceeding the hearing thresholds of both fishes and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. The operational noise from the wind farm was significantly lower in amplitude; therefore, our analysis primarily focused on the radiation of pile driving noise. Acoustic measurements taken at three different distances during pile driving events supported the development of an acoustic propagation model, which was then used to predict the sound exposure levels of pile driving pulses radiating from 5 m below the water surface. By referring to established noise exposure metrics, we estimated an impact zone of 12.8 m for fishes. For the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, the permanent and temporary threshold shift zones were predicted to be 32.4 m and 580.9 m, respectively. Our findings underscore the importance of increasing our understanding on hearing sensitivities of the local inhabitants in the Pearl River Estuary and identify their core habitats. This approach enabled us to use the model to estimate impact zones and better protect the local marine life from the effects of pile driving noise radiation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6b70f6d2fb9242d495aeb0d006197395 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2772-7351 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Biology and Security |
| spelling | doaj-art-6b70f6d2fb9242d495aeb0d0061973952025-01-27T04:22:42ZengKeAi Communications Co. Ltd.Water Biology and Security2772-73512025-01-0141100318Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River EstuaryZhongchang Song0Weijie Fu1Hongquan Li2Yingnan Su3Zhanyuan Gao4Wenxin Fan5Jiangang Hui6Wenzhan Ou7Shengyao Sun8Teng Wang9Honghui Huang10Yu Zhang11Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China; Corresponding author.Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, ChinaKey Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, ChinaKey Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, ChinaKey Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, ChinaKey Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, ChinaKey Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China; Dongshan Swire Marine Station, Xiamen University, Dongshan, 363499, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fishery Ecology and Environment, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fishery Ecology and Environment, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, China; Corresponding author.Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China; Corresponding author.In this study, we recorded the noise radiating from a wind farm and evaluated its potential impact on the fishes and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) residing in the Pearl River Estuary. The pile driving pulses, recorded 30 m from the construction site, had a mean zero-to-peak sound pressure level of 195.1 dB (re 1 μPa) (n = 238), exceeding the hearing thresholds of both fishes and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. The operational noise from the wind farm was significantly lower in amplitude; therefore, our analysis primarily focused on the radiation of pile driving noise. Acoustic measurements taken at three different distances during pile driving events supported the development of an acoustic propagation model, which was then used to predict the sound exposure levels of pile driving pulses radiating from 5 m below the water surface. By referring to established noise exposure metrics, we estimated an impact zone of 12.8 m for fishes. For the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, the permanent and temporary threshold shift zones were predicted to be 32.4 m and 580.9 m, respectively. Our findings underscore the importance of increasing our understanding on hearing sensitivities of the local inhabitants in the Pearl River Estuary and identify their core habitats. This approach enabled us to use the model to estimate impact zones and better protect the local marine life from the effects of pile driving noise radiation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772735124000908Offshore wind farmNoise impactPropagation modelBiological sourcePile driving |
| spellingShingle | Zhongchang Song Weijie Fu Hongquan Li Yingnan Su Zhanyuan Gao Wenxin Fan Jiangang Hui Wenzhan Ou Shengyao Sun Teng Wang Honghui Huang Yu Zhang Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary Water Biology and Security Offshore wind farm Noise impact Propagation model Biological source Pile driving |
| title | Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary |
| title_full | Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary |
| title_short | Evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary |
| title_sort | evaluation of the influence of offshore wind farm noise on the fishes and dolphins in the pearl river estuary |
| topic | Offshore wind farm Noise impact Propagation model Biological source Pile driving |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772735124000908 |
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