A methodology for the measurement of radiated noise from marine piling

This paper describes a methodology that has been developed for measuring marine piling noise, which is designed to record the temporal, spatial and spectral characteristics of the radiated sound field. Results are presented for measurements of two pile diameters, 2m and 4.74m, in a shallow water site off the east coast of the UK. Measurements of the entire piling sequence for several piles were conducted at ranges from 10 m to 22 km for piles in 10-20 m water depth. To assess variations in the temporal, spatial and spectral characteristics, a number of recording systems were simultaneously deployed at various ranges and depths, allowing the full piling sequence to be measured. This allowed assessment of source level variation at fixed locations, and the effect of propagation within the water column.