Port of Anchorage Marine Terminal Development Project 2008 Underwater Noise Survey During Construction Pile Driving, SFS, Inc.
January 01, 2009
Underwater noise survey at the Port of Anchorage to capture representative noise measurements during in-water construction pile driving and other Port operations.
From September 19 - October 9, 2008 an underwater noise survey was conducted at the Port of Anchorage (Port) in order to capture representative noise measurements during in-water construction pile driving and other Port operations. The fourteen-day survey collected over fourteen hours of acoustic data from a drifting vessel using calibrated hydroacoustic equipment similar to that used in previous noise studies. Data collection focused on four areas:
- vibratory pile driving
- impact pile driving
- pile placement (stabbing)
- other noises (noise index)
The processing of the acoustic data produced ranges to the 190, 180, and 160 dB re 1 micro Pascal (µPa) root mean square (RMS) isopleths from impact pile driving activities and the range to the 120 dB isopleths for vibratory pile driving. Background noise levels and noise levels from other port activities have also been analyzed and are reported.