The Dorset-based company North Sea Systems collaborated with Kongsberg Maritime to conduct a passive acoustic monitoring programme at the Isle of Wight Nursery site, located just off Yarmouth. The site is regarded as one of the prime locations in the South for potential tidal turbine development programmes.
The Kongsberg Passive Acoustic Monitoring System (K-PAMS) was successfully deployed at the site in order to measure underwater noise levels within the location, using North Sea Systems DataFish device. The acoustic data recorded included, in the absence of any recognisable noise source, background noise levels, as well as noise from passing vessels.
Following collection of the data, engineers correlated AIS vessel movements with specific noise events in the data record. The DataFish provides an ideal platform for such a survey, not only for powering the instruments, but also for transmitting the data in close to real time. Establishing baseline acoustics will enable renewables developers to monitor any impact of marine turbines and vessel movements on mammals.
“We were delighted to join forces with Kongsberg Maritime on this important project, which allowed us to demonstrate the flexibility of the DataFish survey device” said Ben Baker, Commercial Manager of North Sea Systems. “We are committed tosupporting the renewable energy sector and look forward to undertaking many similar projects in the future.”
Peter Ward, Kongsberg Maritime Product Manager for K-PAMS, added that the DataFish can be used for acoustic monitoring over extended periods of three-to-six months, in turn allowing K-PAMS to be deployed in a wide variety of applications such as marine energy environmental impact assessments, shipping noise surveys, and during construction projects where piling or explosive noise can be problematic.
During the project theK-PAMS hydrophone was installed between the Datafish buoy and its mooring, where it was able to measure acoustic activity with data being fed back instantly to the data collection point. This in turn allowed the Kongsberg engineers to start building a picture of marine activity so that the effect on future tidal site development can be monitored, and the potential impact on the marine environment to be observed.
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