Ambient noise and tidal energy in Admiralty Inlet, Puget Sound, WA

AdimaltySeaSpider

The tidal energy industry is in the early stages of development and relatively little is known about the potential environmental impacts. One particular concern is the impact of acoustic emissions from tidal turbines on already noisy underwater environments. Chris has been working on quantifying the underwater acoustic environment and identifying common noise sources in Admiralty Inlet, Puget Sound. Unique studies of anthropogenic noise from vessel traffic and noise from bedload transport are two major components of the work. The final component involves integrating existing knowledge ambient noise levels, tidal turbine noise, sound propagation, and marine mammal hearing to estimate the spatial scales for potential impacts of tidal energy development in Puget Sound. More information can be found at: http://depts.washington.edu/nnmrec/

People: Chris Bassett, Jim Thomson, Brian Polagye
Funding: Snohomish PUD, US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation (GRFP)

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