Subsonic Aircraft Noise At and Beneath the Ocean Surface: Estimation of Risk for Effects on Marine Mammals

摘要

This is one of five companion reports, each of which deals with one aspect of the problem of assessing the effects of noise from military aircraft on marine life: metrics for sound properties in air compared to sound properties in water; criteria and thresholds for injury and harassment of protected marine life; animal population statistics; and risks of impact from subsonic/supersonic aircraft noise. The purpose of the effort is to establish technically sound estimation procedures for determining the effects of military aircraft noise on marine life, without which the Air Force risks inadvertent violations of the law and becomes vulnerable to litigation and interference with military operations. Objectives include developing procedures for predicting properties of sound waves in air and under water as generated by both subsonic and supersonic aircraft flights; estimating the effects of sound on marine life, both in air and under water; and determining populations of marine life at risk, as functions of aircraft, flight path, and time of year. This volume specifically focuses on the risks of impact to marine mammals from subsonic aircraft noise.