Application of damped cylindrical spreading to assess range to injury threshold for fishes from impact pile driving

Environmental risk assessment for impact pile driving requires characterization of the radiated sound field. Damped cylindrical spreading (DCS) describes propagation of the acoustic Mach cone generated by striking a pile and predicts sound exposure level (L ) versus range. For known water depth and sediment properties, DCS permits extrapolation from a measurement at a known range. Impact assessment criteria typically involve zero-to-peak sound pressure level (L ), root-mean-square sound pressure level (L ), and cumulative sound exposure level (L ). To facilitate predictions using DCS, L and L were estimated from L using empirical regressions. Using a wind farm construction scenario in the North Sea, DCS was applied to estimate ranges to recommended thresholds in fishes. For 3500 hammer strikes, the estimated L impact ranges for mortal and recoverable injury were up to 1.8 and 3.1 km, respectively. Applying a 10 dB noise abatement measure, these distances reduced to 0.29 km for mortal injury and 0.65 km for recoverable injury. An underlying detail that produces unstable results is the averaging time for calculating L , which by convention is equal to the 90%-energy signal duration. A stable alternative is proposed for this quantity based on the effective signal duration.