Monitoring underwater explosions in the habitat of resident bottlenose dolphins

Maintenance work on the harbor of Setúbal, in Portugal, required the removal of a 14-m deep rocky outcrop at the ship maneuver area, using about 35 kg of Gelamonite, a nitroglycerin-based high-explosive. This important harbor is located in the Sado estuary, a biologically rich environment and an imp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2010-12, Vol.128 (6), p.3805-3808
Main Authors: dos Santos, Manuel E., Couchinho, Miguel N., Rita Luís, Ana, Gonçalves, Emanuel J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustics
Animals
Behavior, Animal
Bottle-Nosed Dolphin - physiology
Brackish
Cetacea
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Exact sciences and technology
Explosions
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
Marine
Noise - adverse effects
Physics
Portugal
Pressure
Risk Assessment
Seawater
Time Factors
Underwater sound
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Summary:Maintenance work on the harbor of Setúbal, in Portugal, required the removal of a 14-m deep rocky outcrop at the ship maneuver area, using about 35 kg of Gelamonite, a nitroglycerin-based high-explosive. This important harbor is located in the Sado estuary, a biologically rich environment and an important feeding area for a resident community of bottlenose dolphins. Using different safe range calculation models, a mitigation and monitoring plan was developed that minimized the risks of these underwater explosions for the dolphins. At our monitoring station, at 2 km from the demolition site, acoustic pressure levels in excess of 170 dB re 1 μPa (root-mean-square) were measured. Samples of dead fish collected at the site were indicative of shock trauma from the blasts.
ISSN:0001-4966
1520-8524
DOI:10.1121/1.3506378