H2020: Under water noise mitigation and environmental impact

Underwater noise from shipping and boats impact upon the behaviour and health of water organisms in rivers and at sea, including marine mammals. Despite previous research, the environmental impacts from effects and the propagation of underwater noise at different amplitudes and frequencies remain poorly understood and largely unquantified.

The general objective is to better understand the potential noise reduction measures that could be applied to both existing and future vessels.

Scope

All following aspects should be addressed:

• Develop standardised methods to measure and assess the impacts of underwater noise generated by shipping and boats.
• Establish a stakeholder group of researchers within the domain of underwater noise assessment and mitigation together with other relevant actors.
• Identify, quantify and validate any negative impacts from different types and amplitudes of underwater noise from shipping and boats.
• Propose the most effective feasible solutions to mitigate the effects of underwater noise and to establish appropriate limits.

Expected impact

• Enable appropriate mitigation measures, increase understanding of the short and long term environmental impacts of underwater noise from shipping and boats.
• Identification of the most harmful underwater noise characteristics and the acute and longer-term impacts on different organisms including marine mammals.
• Establishment of standards that can be widely adopted for underwater noise measurement to increase the comparability of data between research programs.
• Develop cost-effective solutions to measure underwater radiated noise from shipping.
• Identification and assessment of solutions to reduce harm from underwater noise.
• Develop innovative solutions to reduce the most harmful radiated shipping noise.
• Provide a foundation for policy.
• Support implementation of the marine strategy framework directive.

Deadline

21st April 2020 17h, Brussels time

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