Underwater noise modelling program to protect marine life
GHD has a new underwater noise modelling program designed to mitigate the environmental impacts of offshore wind farms.
The company is conducting impact assessments for Australia’s nascent offshore wind developments, with underwater noise becoming a crucial component of these studies. Underwater noise models are said to be essential for predicting impacts on marine life, and the limited availability of commercial software solutions has historically inhibited the ability to conduct comprehensive assessments.
GHD’s solution, the RAT (R Acoustics Toolbox), is said to address these challenges by providing a bespoke, web-based interface that utilises existing algorithms in a customisable manner. Developed using R programming language, the RAT enhances efficiency and accuracy in underwater noise modelling. The program automates processes such as transect generation and data handling, which were previously done manually, and represents complex numerical data visually, making it easier to understand and analyse.
Marco Velasco, GHD’s Senior Engineer in the Air & Noise Service Line, said, “The algorithm spits out a huge amount of data — 10 km long and 500 m deep. We built a system to represent those numbers visually, making it easier to understand, even for experienced modellers.”
The advanced underwater noise modelling program has been successfully deployed on oil and gas projects in the Middle East, submarine cables, defence projects across Australia, and geophysical surveys in the UK.
“We will be using this program on upcoming wind farm projects in Australia. It will be a huge asset in terms of mitigating and managing noise impacts to marine fauna as a result of these offshore renewable projects,” said Pri Pandey, GHD Service Line Leader — Air & Noise.
Looking ahead, GHD plans to continue enhancing the RAT by adding features such as full movement models to simulate how species respond to noise over time.
Velasco said, “We want to make it interactive so we can see in real time how mitigation options reduce impacts. It’s a powerful toolbox.”
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