Multiple-Pulse Sounds and Seals: Results of a Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Telemetry Study During Wind Farm Construction

Gordon D Hastie; Debbie J F Russell; Bernie McConnell; Dave Thompson; Vincent M Janik

doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-2981-8_50

Multiple-Pulse Sounds and Seals: Results of a Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Telemetry Study During Wind Farm Construction

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016:875:425-30. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2981-8_50.

Authors

Gordon D Hastie¹, Debbie J F Russell^{2

3}, Bernie McConnell⁴, Dave Thompson⁵, Vincent M Janik⁶

Affiliations

¹ Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU), Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews Fife, KY16 8LB, UK. gdh10@st-andrews.ac.uk.
² Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU), Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews Fife, KY16 8LB, UK. dr60@st-andrews.ac.uk.
³ Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Monitoring, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews Fife, KY16 9LZ, UK. dr60@st-andrews.ac.uk.
⁴ Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU), Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews Fife, KY16 8LB, UK. bm8@st-andrews.ac.uk.
⁵ Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU), Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews Fife, KY16 8LB, UK. dt2@st-andrews.ac.uk.
⁶ Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU), Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews Fife, KY16 8LB, UK. vj@st-andrews.ac.uk.

PMID: 26610987
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2981-8_50

Abstract

Offshore construction and survey techniques can produce pulsed sounds with a high sound pressure level. In coastal waters, the areas in which they are produced are often also used by seals, potentially resulting in auditory damage or behavioral avoidance. Here, we describe a study on harbor seals during a wind farm installation off southeast England. The study used GPS/global system for mobile communication tags on 23 harbor seals that provided distribution and activity data; the closest range of individual seals to piling varied from 6.65 to 46.1 km. Furthermore, the maximum predicted received levels (RLs) at individual seals varied between 146.9 and 169.4 dB re 1 μPa peak to peak.

Keywords: Offshore wind farm; Pinniped; Propagation; Renewables.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Energy-Generating Resources*
Phoca / physiology*
Sound*
Telemetry / methods*
Wind*