Underwater noise studies in the Gulf of Lions region. Anthropogenic contributions to underwater noise due to maritime traffic and offshore windfarm operation

En el marco del proyecto MSPMED se ha llevado a cabo un caso de estudio transfronterizo entre España y Francia en relación al estado de los ecosistemas, el desarrollo de la eólica marina y el ruido submarino,. Este deliverable analiza cómo podría ser el impacto del ruido submarino producido por el tráfico marítimo y la eólica marina en el componente pelágico

A Risk-Based Model Using Communication Distance Reduction for the Assessment of Underwater Continuous Noise: An Application to the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Inhabiting the Spanish North Atlantic Marine Demarcation

Over the last decade, national authorities and European administrations have made great efforts to establish methodological standards for the assessment of underwater continuous noise, especially under the requirements set by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Through the MSFD implementation across EU Member States Marine Reporting Units (MRUs), it is intended to establish the Good Environmental Status (GES) whether it is achieved or not. The evaluation of the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) at the local or regional scale for 1/3 octave band of 63 Hz and 125 Hz and the identification of long temporary trends were considered to be a priority due to the valuable information they can offer in relation to continuous low-frequency noise. Nevertheless, the methodology to determine threshold values from which to evaluate the GES has become difficult to define, and new approaches and considerations are currently being discussed by groups of experts, such as the technical subgroup on underwater acoustics (TGnoise) and regional commissions (e.g., OSPAR). This work presents a methodology to perform the assessment of a given area, providing a risk index that is related to potential appearance of masking effect due to the underwater noise produced by marine traffic. The risk index is hinged on the calculation of area under curves defined by the density of animals and a variable related to underwater noise SPL, defined as percentage of communication distance reduction. At this stage, the methodology presented does not consider physiological or behavioral mechanisms to overcome the masking by animals. The methodology presented has been applied to the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the ABIES—NOR marine demarcation to illustrate the possible use of risk-based models to manage marine areas related to human pressures, such as marine traffic, with the potential adverse impact on a given species (e.g., masking effect).En prens

MSPMED Case Study: Characterizing the ecological stakes and their interactions with offshore activities in the Gulf of Lion to support the Maritime Spatial Planning processes in the Mediterranean Sea

El Golfo de León es una zona transfronteriza entre Francia y España, siendo una zona excepcional para la biodiversidad marina (por ejemplo, aves marinas, cetáceos, tortugas marinas y hábitats bentónicos), así como una zona de desarrollo económico para el sector marítimo, como la pesca, el tráfico marítimo y nuevas actividades como los parques eólicos. Aunque España y Francia han llevado a cabo considerables investigaciones y proyectos en el Golfo de León, todavía hay una falta de conocimiento sobre los intereses ecológicos y sus interacciones con las actividades humanas. Para ello, y en el marco del proyecto MSPMED (Towards the operational implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in our common Mediterranean Sea) cofinanciado por la Comisión Europea, se está desarrollando un estudio de caso transfronterizo entre España y Francia en una zona extensa del Golfo de León, cuyo objetivo principal se centra en la evaluación del conocimiento disponible sobre el medio marino de la zona y la identificación y caracterización de las interacciones entre los usos marítimos (especialmente los parques eólicos flotantes en alta mar), el ruido submarino, y los componentes del ecosistema marino en el contexto de la ordenación del espacio marino (OEM

The Sound Emission Board of the KM3NeT Acoustic Positioning System

We describe the sound emission board proposed for installation in the acoustic positioning system of the future KM3NeT underwater neutrino telescope. The KM3NeT European consortium aims to build a multi-cubic kilometre underwater neutrino telescope in the deep Mediterranean Sea. In this kind of telescope the mechanical structures holding the optical sensors, which detect the Cherenkov radiation produced by muons emanating from neutrino interactions, are not completely rigid and can move up to dozens of meters in undersea currents. Knowledge of the position of the optical sensors to an accuracy of about 10 cm is needed for adequate muon track reconstruction. A positioning system based on the acoustic triangulation of sound transit time differences between fixed seabed emitters and receiving hydrophones attached to the kilometre-scale vertical flexible structures carrying the optical sensors is being developed. In this paper, we describe the sound emission board developed in the framework of KM3NeT project, which is totally adapted to the chosen FFR SX30 ultrasonic transducer and fulfils the requirements imposed by the collaboration in terms of cost, high reliability, low power consumption, high acoustic emission power for short signals, low intrinsic noise and capacity to use arbitrary signals in emission mode.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Development of an acoustic transceiver for the KM3NeT positioning system

[EN] In this paper we describe an acoustic transceiver developed for the KM3NeT positioning system. The acoustic transceiver is composed of a commercial free flooded transducer, which works mainly in the 20-40 kHz frequency range and withstands high pressures (up to 500 bars). A sound emission board was developed that is adapted to the characteristics of the transducer and meets all requirements: low power consumption, high intensity of emission, low intrinsic noise, arbitrary signals for emission and the capacity of acquiring the receiving signals with very good timing precision. The results of the different tests made with the transceiver in the laboratory and shallow sea water are described, as well as, the activities for its integration in the Instrumentation Line of the ANTARES neutrino telescope and in a NEMO tower for the in situ tests. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work has been supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (Spanish Government), Project references FPA2009-13983-C02-02, ACI2009-1067, AIC10-D-00583, and Consolider-Ingenio Multidark (CSD2009-00064). It has also been funded by Generalitat Valenciana, Prometeo/2009/26, and the European 7th Framework Programme, Grant no. 212525.Larosa, G.; Ardid Ramírez, M.; Llorens Alvarez, CD.; Bou Cabo, M.; Martínez Mora, JA.; Adrián Martínez, S.; KM3NeT Consortium (2013). Development of an acoustic transceiver for the KM3NeT positioning system. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. 725:215-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2012.11.167S21521872

Dark matter searches using superheated liquids

Direct detection of dark matter is one of the most important topics in modern physics. It is estimated that 22% of universe matter is composed by dark matter in front of 0.4% of ordinary matter like stars, galaxies planets and all kind of known astrophysical objects. Several kinds of experiments are nowadays involved in detection of one of the more accepted particle candidates to be dark matter: WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles). These detectors, using several kinds of techniques: Cryogenic semiconductors, scintillation materials like I Na or noble gas chambers among others, are reporting very interesting but inconclusive results. In this paper a review of detectors that are using the superheated liquid technique in bubble chambers in order to detect WIMPs is reported. Basically, we will report about Coupp (Chicagoland observatory for underground particle physics), PICO that is composed by Coupp and Picasso researchers having the aim to build a ton experiment and also about a new detector named MOSCAB (Materia oscura a bolle) that recently published a first results of a test chamber that uses also superheated liquid technique but as a Geyser chamber.Bou Cabo, M.; Ardid Ramírez, M.; Felis-Enguix, I. (2016). Dark matter searches using superheated liquids. EPJ Web of Conferences. 121(06007):1-8. doi:10.1051/epjconf/201612106007S1812106007Rayleigh L., On the pressure developed in a liquid during the collapse of a spherical cavity (Philos. Mag34, 94, 1917)Plesset M.S., The growth of vapor bubbles in superheated liquid (J. Appl. Phys.25, 9493, 1954)Forster H.K., Growth of vapor bubbles in superheated liquid (J. Appl. Phys.05, 474, 1954)Seitz F. (Phys. Fluids1, 2, 1958)Behnke E. et al., Coupp Collaboration, First dark matter search results from a 4-kg CF3I bubble chamber operated in a deep underground site (Phys. Rev. D86, 2012)Behnke et al., Coupp Collaboration, Direct measurement of the bubble-nucleation energy threshold in a CF3I bubble chamber (Phys. Rev. D88, 2013)Archambault S., Picasso Collaboration, Dark Matter Spin-Dependent Limits for WIMPs Interactions on19F by PICASSO(Phys. Lett. B, 2009)Bertoni R. et al., A new technique for direct investigation of dark matter (Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, A, 61–68, 2014)Bou-Cabo M. et al., LOW Radioactivity Techniques 2013 (LRT 2013): Proceedings of the IV International Workshop in Low Radioactivity Techniques, V:1549, 142 – 147Ardid M. et al., MOSCAB: Direct dark matter search using the Geyser technique, Proc. ICHEP 2014 Conf., Nucl. Phys. B: Proc. Supp. (in press

Acoustic signal detection through the cross-correlation method in experiments with different signal to noise ratio and reverberation conditions

[EN] The study and application of signal detection techniques based on cross-correlation method for acoustic transient signals in noisy and reverberant environments are presented. These techniques are shown to provide high signal to noise ratio, good signal discernment from very close echoes and accurate detection of signal arrival time. The proposed methodology has been tested on different signal to noise ratio and reverberation conditions using real data collected in several experiences related to acoustic systems in astroparticle detectors. This work focuses on the acoustic detection applied to tasks of positioning in underwater structures and calibration such those as ANTARES and KM3NeT deep-sea neutrino telescopes, as well as, in particle detection through acoustic events for the COUPP/PICO detectors. Moreover, a method for obtaining the real amplitude of the signal in time (voltage) by using cross correlation has been developed and tested and is described in this work.This work has been supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spanish Government), project ref. FPA2012-37528-C02-02 and Multidark (CSD2009-00064). It has also being funded by Generalitat Valenciana, Prometeo/2009/26, and ACOMP/2014/153. Thanks to the ANTARES Collaboration for the help in the measurements made in the ANTARES deep-sea neutrino telescope.Adrián Martínez, S.; Bou Cabo, M.; Felis, I.; Llorens Alvarez, CD.; Martínez Mora, JA.; Saldaña, M.; Ardid Ramírez, M. (2015). Acoustic signal detection through the cross-correlation method in experiments with different signal to noise ratio and reverberation conditions. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 8629:66-79. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46338-3_7S66798629Ageron, M., et al. (ANTARES Collaboration): ANTARES: the first undersea neutrino telescope. Nucl. Instr. Meth. A 656, 11–38 (2011)The KM3NeT Collaboration: KM3NeT technical design report (2010). ISBN 978-90-6488-033-9. www.km3net.orgBehnke, E., et al. (COUPP Collaboration): First dark matter search results from a 4-kg CF3I bubble chamber operated in a deep underground site. Phys. Rev. D 86, 052001 (2012)Ardid, M.: Positioning system of the ANTARES neutrino telescope. Nucl. Instr. Meth. A 602, 174–176 (2009)Larosa, G., Ardid, M.: KM3NeT acoustic position calibration of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope. Nucl. Instr. Meth. A 718, 502–503 (2013)Ardid, M.: ANTARES: an underwater network of sensors for neutrino astronomy and deep-sea research. Ad Hoc Sensor Wirel. Netw. 8, 21–34 (2009)Bou-Cabo, M., Ardid, M., Felis, I.: Acoustic studies for alpha background rejection in dark matter bubble chamber detectors. In: Proceedings of the IV International Workshop in Low Radioactivity Techniques. AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 1549, pp. 142–147 (2013)Proakis, J.G., Manolakis, D.G.: Digital Signal Processing, 3rd edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River (1996)Saldaña, M.: Acoustic system development for the underwater neutrino telescope positioning KM3NeT, Bienal de Física (2013)Ardid, M., et al.: Acoustic transmitters for underwater neutrino telescopes. Sensors 12, 4113–4132 (2012)Felis, I., Bou-Cabo, M., Ardid, M.: Sistemas acústicos para la detección de Materia Oscura, Bienal de Física (2013)Llorens, C.D., et al.: The sound emission board of the KM3NeT acoustic positioning system. J. Instrum. 7, C01001 (2012)Graf, K.: Experimental studies within ANTARES towards acoustic detection of ultra high energy neutrinos in the deep sea. Ph.D. thesis, U. Erlangen, FAU-PI1-DISS-08-001 (2008

Expansion cone for the 3-inch PMTs of the KM3NeT optical modules

[EN] Detection of high-energy neutrinos from distant astrophysical sources will open a new window on the Universe. The detection principle exploits the measurement of Cherenkov light emitted by charged particles resulting from neutrino interactions in the matter containing the telescope. A novel multi-PMT digital optical module (DOM) was developed to contain 31 3-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). In order to maximize the detector sensitivity, each PMT will be surrounded by an expansion cone which collects photons that would otherwise miss the photocathode. Results for various angles of incidence with respect to the PMT surface indicate an increase in collection efficiency by 30% on average for angles up to 45 degrees with respect to the perpendicular. Ray-tracing calculations could reproduce the measurements, allowing to estimate an increase in the overall photocathode sensitivity, integrated over all angles of incidence, by 27% (for a single PMT). Prototype DOMs, being built by the KM3NeT consortium, will be equipped with these expansion cones.This work is supported through the EU, FP6 Contract no. 011937, FP7 grant agreement no. 212252, and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.Adrián Martínez, S.; Ageron, M.; Aguilar, JA.; Aharonian, F.; Aiello, S.; Albert, A.; Alexandri, M.... (2013). Expansion cone for the 3-inch PMTs of the KM3NeT optical modules. Journal of Instrumentation. 8(3):1-19. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/8/03/T03006S1198

Ultrasonic transmitter for positioning of the large underwater neutrino telescope KM3NeT

This article belongs to a special issue: 43rd Annual UIA Symposium 23—25 April 2014 CSIC Madrid, Spain. Edited By Margaret Lucas and Enrique Riera[EN] Underwater ultrasonic transducers are commonly used for marine applications including communication and positioning systems. In this work, an ultrasonic transmitter transducer developed for the very large underwater neutrino telescope KM3NeT positioning is presented. The telescope infrastructure will have some degree of motion due to sea current; hence a positioning system is needed in order to monitor the position of the optical sensors. For this purpose, a reliable and affordable positioning based on acoustic systems is used. The ultrasound transmitter prototype developed as part of the positioning system is composed of a commercial FFR transducer and specifically designed electronics to optimize the system and fulfil the requirements of the KM3NeT infrastructure. The transmitter is able to generate high-power short signals with arbitrary waveform in a range of 20 kHz - 40 kHz and withstand high pressures. Signal processing techniques such as advanced cross-correlation methods and filtering as well as broad-band ultrasound signals are also applied for optimizing the acoustic emission and position detection. The work done for a precise laboratory testing and optimization of the system is described. The prototype has been integrated in the ANTARES neutrino telescope for testing its accuracy and the reach in situ. The test results obtained are also presented in this communication.This work has been supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spanish Government), project ref. FPA2012-37528-C02-02, Multidark (CSD2009-00064) and the European 7th Framework Programme, Grant no. 212525.Saldaña Coscollar, M.; Adrián Martínez, S.; Bou Cabo, M.; Felis Enguix, I.; Larosa, G.; Llorens Alvarez, CD.; Martínez Mora, JA.... (2015). Ultrasonic transmitter for positioning of the large underwater neutrino telescope KM3NeT. Physics Procedia. 63:195-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2015.03.032S1952006