Analysis of the underwater acoustic environment in the Catalan Shore: Badalona and Port of Barcelona cases in the framework of the Deuteronoise JPI-Oceans Project

Abstract

Maritime traffic noise pollution is a significant concern for ocean's health and living organisms' welfare, particularly in European sea basins. Research has predominantly focused on vertebrates, linking noise pollution to hearing impairment, affecting their predator and prey detection, communication, and navigation. However, recent findings suggest that tunicates, marine invertebrates related to vertebrates, may also be susceptible to noise due to their similar acoustic and particle motion sensory organs. The JPI Oceans project, Deuteronoise, addresses this research gap by characterizing noise from maritime traffic in selected European sites, investigating the effects of noise on marine deuterostomes. In this paper, we introduce the pipeline and retrieval methods, followed by an analysis of the data collected from two contrasting locations: Port of Barcelona, noise polluted area, and Badalona, non-polluted one, focusing on the noise impact on Oikopleura dioica, a representative appendicularian tunicate. Initial laboratory analyses of recorded sounds have identified different vessel and sound features, providing distinction between the two sites. With this data analysis, we aim to bring valuable insights that will enhance our understanding of maritime noise pollution. This research not only advances our knowledge of the ecological consequences of noise pollution but also informs conservation strategies for vulnerable marine ecosystems.