Abstract Anchor pipe vibration embedment operations during the construction of seed mussel collectors were performed in the Wadden Sea, a designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2009. We recorded 200 min of underwater noise during the construction of seven anchor pipes. Underwater noise was recorded simultaneously at three positions with a water depth of 9 m with increasing distance to the construction site to assess the disturbance potential to the marine fauna. The recorded vibration embedment noise was a continuous sound with durations of 2–55 s, with most energy below 1 kHz and peak frequencies around 900 Hz. Background noise level at a distance of approximately 1 km increased around 13 dB at frequencies between 800 and 1000 Hz. We estimated the sound propagation by a non-linear logarithmic regression by means of the intercept, slope and attenuation factor, which allowed us to evaluate the received sound levels that reach an animal in certain distances from the construction site. The estimated sound exposure level (SEL) of the source was 148.2 dB re 1 μPa2s and the median SEL ranged from 120 to 99 dB re 1 μPa2s at distances between 394 and 2288 m, respectively. Behavioural thresholds for indigenous species of marine mammals in the Wadden Sea as well as representative fish species were used to determine effect radii of vibration embedment noise. Our study showed that the detected anchor pipe vibration embedment noise might exert a behavioural reaction on a local scale. Marine mammals could be affected by the construction operations up to a distance of 375 m and fish up to a distance of 766 m. These zones of responsiveness for vibration embedment operations are relatively small, compared to pile driving, which is regularly used during construction operations. Our study shows that it is important to monitor and assess any kind of noise introduction to verify, whether a sustainable human use with respect to the complied guidelines is ensured without affecting the marine fauna. That is the first step to maintain a good environmental status as implemented in the MSFD.

中文翻译：

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瓦登海锚振动作业水下噪声的影响范围

摘要 2009 年在联合国教科文组织指定的世界遗产瓦登海进行了贻贝收集器建造过程中的锚管振动嵌入操作。我们在建造七个锚管期间记录了 200 分钟的水下噪声。随着距离施工现场的距离增加，在水深 9 m 的三个位置同时记录水下噪声，以评估对海洋动物群的干扰潜力。记录的振动嵌入噪声是持续时间为 2-55 秒的连续声音，大部分能量低于 1 kHz，峰值频率约为 900 Hz。在 800 和 1000 Hz 之间的频率下，大约 1 公里距离处的背景噪音水平增加了约 13 dB。我们通过截距通过非线性对数回归估计声音传播，斜率和衰减系数，这使我们能够评估在距建筑工地一定距离内到达动物的接收声级。源的估计声音暴露水平 (SEL) 为 148.2 dB re 1 μPa2s，中值 SEL 范围分别为 120 至 99 dB re 1 μPa2s，距离分别为 394 和 2288 m。瓦登海本地海洋哺乳动物物种以及代表性鱼类的行为阈值用于确定振动嵌入噪声的影响半径。我们的研究表明，检测到的锚管振动嵌入噪声可能会在局部范围内产生行为反应。海洋哺乳动物可能会受到施工作业的影响，最远可达 375 m，鱼类可能会受到最远 766 m 的影响。与在施工作业中经常使用的打桩相比，这些振动嵌入操作的响应区域相对较小。我们的研究表明，重要的是监测和评估任何类型的噪音引入，以验证是否能够在不影响海洋动物群的情况下，确保人类根据遵守的准则可持续使用。这是保持 MSFD 中实施的良好环境状态的第一步。