Standards Development

Scope

Standardize measurement of underwater sound for the purpose of ambient sound monitoring

Purpose

Worldwide there is an increasing awareness and concern for possible effects of noise-related impacts from the addition of anthropogenic underwater sound in marine environments. For example, in the EU, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires Member States to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) by the year 2020. GES has 11 Descriptors, of which one, Descriptor 11, (“Introduction of energy, including underwater noise, is at levels that do not adversely affect the marine environment”) relates to underwater noise. As a result of a European Commission Decision in 2010, Member States must monitor trends in ‘Continuous low frequency sound’ and they must do so at a regional level, requiring international collaboration and standardization of monitoring methods.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has published a forward looking Ocean Noise Strategy to provide long term direction to NOAA’s management of Ocean Noise. A framework for ocean noise monitoring has been developed in U.S. waters in which methods and techniques have been outlined for characterizing and monitoring marine soundscapes. Australia has developed an Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), with three moored acoustic observatories. These observatories can be moved, and are currently placed on the east coast, north of Sydney, on the south coast, near Victoria, and on the south west coast, close to Perth. The purpose of IMOS is to understand background noise (noise in absence of identifiable sources) and then deal with identifiable sources separately.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has published a discussion document ‘Ocean Noise Strategy for Canada’, with broadly ranging objectives covering science research and technology development, impact assessment and management, and outreach and communication. Developing international standards for the measurement of underwater ambient noise would be of mutual benefit for both EU Member States, North America and Australia.