2025_proceedings: Assessment of shipping noise in Greek marine waters under the 2018-2023 Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) monitoring programme

• Session: 22. Underwater noise in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive: implementation, monitoring, assessment and measures
  Organised by: Peter Sigray, Aristides Prospathopoulos, Emmanuel Skarsoulis
• Lecture: Assessment of shipping noise in Greek marine waters under the 2018-2023 Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) monitoring programme
  Paper ID: 2145
  Author(s): Aristides Prospathopoulos, Emmanuel Skarsoulis, George Piperakis, Dimitrios Makropoulos, Paraskevi Drakopoulou, Dimitris Kassis, Dionysios Ballas, Emmanuel Orfanakis, Panagiotis Papadakis, Michael Taroudakis
  Presenter: Aristides Prospathopoulos
  Abstract: In the framework of the MSFD assessment of continuous underwater sound in the Greek marine waters, a prediction model for shipping noise based on coupled mode theory was applied to address the bathymetric complexity of strongly range-dependent environments such as the Aegean Archipelago. Preliminary comparisons of the model results were performed with the results of on-site noise measurements at specific measuring stations and specific time periods at 63 Hz and 125 Hz, which are the centered frequencies required by the Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848. Two uniformly stratified sea bottoms with different properties were tested, revealing the effect of the sea bottom properties on the results. In both tests, the noise model was limited only to ships with AIS, the source level of which was estimated by the JOMOPANS-ECHO model, and the effect of wind was taken into account through a semi-empirical model. \nThe noise levels calculated from the prediction model were the mean, the median and the 5% and 95% percentiles for the RMS sound pressure level (SPL) in the third octave bands centered at 63 Hz and 125 Hz for the months of January and July 2023 (representative of high noise levels) at three different depths. The steps of TG Noise assessment framework were followed and the assessment was made on a 10 km x 10 km grid (EPSG:3035 coordinate system), also used for the national biodiversity assessment in the MSFD, selecting 110 dB re 1μPa as the Level of Onset of Biological Adverse Effects (LOBE) for the nine indicator species (resident marine mammals). As habitats, seven Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) in the Greek marine waters were selected and the assessment was performed for each species and habitat. Among other issues and potential advancements, the assessment in Marine Reporting Units (MRUs) is discussed.
• Corresponding author: Dr Aristides Prospathopoulos
  Affiliation: Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
  Country: Greece