Technical Reports
Noise
Levels and Sources in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
and the St. Lawrence River Estuary
Although
ambient (background) noise in the ocean is a topic that has been
widely studied since pre-World War II, the effects of noise on
marine organisms has only been a focus of concern for the last
25 years. The main point of concern has been the potential of
noise to affect the health and behavior of marine mammals. The
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) is a site where
the degradation of habitat due to increasing noise levels is a
concern because it is a feeding ground and summer haven for numerous
species of marine mammals. Ambient noise in the ocean is defined
as "the part of the total noise background observed with
an omnidirectional hydrophone." It is an inherent characteristic
of the medium having no specific point source. Ambient noise is
comprised of a number of components that contribute to the "noise
level" in varying degrees depending on where the noise is
being measured.
This
report describes the current understanding of ambient noise and
existing levels in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Noise Levels and
Sources
Key
Words: ambient noise, Stellwagen Bank, sanctuary, background
noise, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Citation:
Scheifele, Peter M. and Michael Darre. 2005. Noise levels and
sources in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the
St. Lawrence River Estuary. Marine Conservation Series MSD-05-1.
U. S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Marine Sanctuaries Division, Silver Spring, MD.
26pp.
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