Noise field characterization in the habitat of the East Taiwan Strait Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin during the pile driving activity of demonstration offshore wind farm

Abstract

The Eastern Taiwan Strait (ETS) population of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is listed critically endangered in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to its small population size and narrow distribution. The humpback dolphin habitats off the coast of Miaoli and Changhua are sites selected for future wind farms, therefore, the noise impact of pile driving on this critically endangered population is expected to be serious. This paper presents works done in (1) characterizing the sound field during the test pile driving and associated activities in the humpback dolphin habitat; (2) identifying dominant anthropogenic noise sources of the dolphin habitat during the construction of demonstration wind turbines and associated activities; and (3) examining the implications of the sound field from wind turbine construction and associated activities in relation to humpback dolphins’ hearing and communication. The results from the study can provide critical information and conservation recommendations for an environmental impact analysis for the full scale wind farm construction in 2017.