Underwater tracking of marine mammals around renewable energy systems

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Project Detail:

With the increased global demands for energy we have seen rapid developments in renewable technologies over the last few decades. A key area for this development is in the offshore marine sector including technologies such as offshore wind, tidal and wave energy extraction. The UK is a world leader in the development and implementation of offshore wind and in the development of newer technologies such as wave and tidal energy systems.

Coupled with these major developments there have been growing concerns about the impact of large scale industrialisation of marine habitats and potential impacts on the marine eco-system and environments.

Acoustics can play a fundamental role in the sensory perception of almost all marine species from marine mammals and fish right through to invertebrates and birds. A key concern is in the area of underwater acoustic noise generated by manmade systems during their full life cycle of construction, operation and decommissioning and its total contribution to the existing acoustic environment.

This acoustic environment is complex and interference from manmade noise may interfere with critical life cycles however significant research questions are still unanswered about the nature of the interaction of marine species with these sound sources. This research would entail the development and testing of systems to monitor and track marine species underwater to allow assessment of critical behaviours and response of these species to man-made noise. The project would entail working closely with marine acoustics engineers, the offshore industry, regulator, policy makers, marine biologist, eco-system scientists etc.