Characteristics of oil industry dredge and drilling sounds in the Beaufort Sea

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Abstract
As part of a general study of underwater industrial noises and their effects on bowhead whales, sounds from drilling and dredging operations were measured in the shallow waters (< 50 m) of the Canadian Beaufort Sea during August of each year from 1980-1984. The measurements were made from a vertical string of hydrophones of 3, 9, and 18 m suspended from a sparbuoy. Sound sources included drillships logging and drilling, drilling at a caisson-retained island, transfer dredges, and hopper dredges. Results are presented in spectrum graphs, as sound pressure levels in third-octave and octave bands, and as overall levels in the 20- to 1000-Hz band. Most energy from these sources was below 1000 Hz. The weakest drilling/dredging sounds measured came from a drillship performing logging operations (122-125 dB re:1 .mu.Pa, 20-1000 Hz, range 0.17 km). The strongest sounds came from a hopper dredge underway with a damaged propeller (150 dB, range 0.46 km). Measured data were used to derive regression equations for received sound level versus range. In these shallow waters, the overall noise (20- to 1000-Hz band) from most drilling and dredging operations would be at levels below the median ambient noise (99 dB) at ranges greater than 30 km.
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