Comparative Acoustic Impacts of Impact and Vibratory Pile Driving

INSPIRE and Venterra’s Environmental Service Line are developing a detailed pile driving acoustic source model to compare potential impacts of impact and vibratory pile driving on select marine species. Using state-of-the-art finite element and acoustic propagation codes, our team is investigating the complicated wave interactions generated by impact and vibratory pile driving operations and how they propagate away from the construction area. The pile driving source model informs species-specific animal behavioral modelling to provide a comprehensive prediction of how offshore pile installation impacts sensitive marine populations.

INSPIRE is characterizing the sound sources of impact and vibratory pile driving through an extensive modelling effort comparing the resulting sound fields from pile driving scenarios involving different hammer types and pile geometries. These sound fields feed our animal behavioral models, which estimate a probability of species-specific exposure levels under current U.S. regulatory thresholds. This work will be consolidated into a white paper that will highlight the differences in noise impact analyses for impact and vibratory pile driving, identifying critical input parameters in a sensitivity study of impact levels and engaging with U.S. federal agencies to discuss the implications for the future of offshore wind construction in the U.S.