What is the Source Level of Pile-Driving Noise in Water?

To meet the growing demand for carbon-free energy sources, the European Union (EU) has ambitious plans to increase its capacity for generation of offshore wind power. The United Kingdom and The Netherlands, for example, plan to increase their offshore power-generating capacity to 33 and 6 GW, respectively, by the year 2020. Assuming that this power is generated entirely by wind and that a single wind turbine can generate up to 10 MW, at least 3,900 offshore turbines would be required by these two states alone to achieve this goal. A popular turbine construction method known as “pile driving” involves the use of hammering a steel cylinder (a “monopile”) into the seabed. A concern has arisen for the possible effect on mammals (Southall et al. 2007) and fish (Popper and Hastings 2009) of the sound produced by the succession of hammer impacts required to sink the pile to its required depth (tens of meters)

The Sound Generated by Mid-Ocean Ridge Black Smoker Hydrothermal Vents

Hydrothermal flow through seafloor black smoker vents is typically turbulent and vigorous, with speeds often exceeding 1 m/s. Although theory predicts that these flows will generate sound, the prevailing view has been that black smokers are essentially silent. Here we present the first unambiguous field recordings showing that these vents radiate significant acoustic energy. The sounds contain a broadband component and narrowband tones which are indicative of resonance. The amplitude of the broadband component shows tidal modulation which is indicative of discharge rate variations related to the mechanics of tidal loading. Vent sounds will provide researchers with new ways to study flow through sulfide structures, and may provide some local organisms with behavioral or navigational cues

Introduction to aeroacoustics and self-sustained oscillations of internal flows

\u3cp\u3eAfter a review of basic equations of fluid dynamics, the Aeroacoustic analogy of Lighthill is derived. This analogy describes the sound field generated by a complex flow from the point of view of a listener immerged in a uniform stagnant fluid. The concept of monopole, dipole and quadrupole are introduced. The scaling of the sound power generated by a subsonic free jet is explained, providing an example of the use of the integral formulation of the analogy. The influence of the Doppler Effect on the radiation of sound by a moving source is explained. By considering the noise generated by a free jet in a bubbly liquid, we illustrate the importance of the choice of the aeroacoustic variable in an aeroacoustic analogy. This provides some insight into the usefulness of alternative formulations, such as the Vortex Sound Theory. The energy corrolary of Howe based on the Vortex Sound Theory appears to be the most suitable theory to understand various aspects of self-sustained oscillation due to the coupling of vortex shedding with acoustic standing waves in a resonator. This approach is used to analyse the convective energy losses at an open pipe termination, human whistling, flow instabilities in diffusers, pulsations in pipe systems with deep closed side branches and the whistling of corrugated pipes.\u3c/p\u3