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Standards Development
Standardize procedures for measurement of sound radiated attenuation provided by noise barrier control methods for marine pile driving
Sound is often an unintended by-product of man-made activities, and the increasing number of soundproducing human activities in oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and harbours have led to concern over noise pollution from unwanted sound and its potential effect on aquatic life. In some countries, there is already incipient regulation with regard to the impact of the radiated underwater sound, requiring acoustic monitoring for environmental impact assessment during construction projects. Percussive pile driving can be a significant source of low-frequency impulsive underwater sound. During the process, a pile is driven into the seabed (or river-bed, etc.) using a hammer, which is typically driven hydraulically. Such a technique is commonly used to position piles in shallow water construction applications. Examples of such applications include the following: (i) construction of offshore wind farms; (ii) construction and mooring of platforms for the offshore oil and gas industry; (iii) construction of bridge supports and foundations in rivers, estuaries, harbours and quays (and close proximity to them); (iv) mooring and positioning of aquatic renewable energy devices. Recently, noise barrier methods have become available to attenuate the radiated noise and enable the activity to proceed with reduced noise impact. However, methods are required to describe the necessary measurements for the in-situ characterization of the efficiency of barrier noise mitigation systems underwater. The acoustic efficiency of a system can be derived from measurements carried out with and without the considered noise mitigation system. This acoustic efficiency of the system is given as insertion loss. In general, in acoustic underwater measurements, the influences of the noise source and the noise propagation cannot be completely separated. For example, the soil properties have a direct influence on the noise source. Another influence is the sound propagation and sound radiation via the sea bottom. Consequently, comparable conditions for the chosen measurement configurations shall be established. Results acquired in accordance with the new specification will be necessary and useful for: (i) comparison with acoustical specifications, e.g. within the scope of approval procedures; (ii) comparison with other noise mitigation systems; (iii) resource scheduling for the construction and building process of offshore wind farms and other structures; (iv) further development and improvement of noise mitigation systems.
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