Klaus Lucke's DOSITS webinar shines light on underwater noise regulations around the globe
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JASCO scientist Dr. Klaus Lucke hosted an informative webinar titled Regulatory Approaches to Underwater Noise – An International Comparison. The November 19th webinar was part of an Underwater Acoustics webinar series hosted by the Discovery of Sound in the Sea (DOSITS) website, a widely popular source of scientifically reviewed information on ocean acoustics.
Webinar Summary
“Underwater noise is recognised as a pollutant and potential threat to marine fauna. Our understanding of noise-induced effects is still incomplete, but it is also evolving constantly. This process, along with legislative and cultural differences between countries, lead to a variety of existing and developing regulations for underwater noise.”
“This presentation provides an overview of the most prominent national and international noise regulations. Focussing entirely on marine mammals, parallels and differences in approaches taken by countries, regional agreements, and multinational organisations will be presented.”
“Looking beyond merely comparing noise thresholds, some key aspects are discussed and new concepts presented.”
Webinar Outline
Terminology – clarifying some ambiguous terms, identifying problematic ones
General Aspects of Noise Regulations – including mitigation and frequency weighting
Country Specific Regulation – highlighting the most prominent and relevant ones
Parallels and Differences
Harmonisation and Diversity, Uncertainty
Ecological Consequences and Regulatory Frameworks
Summary
Watch the webinar on the DOSITS site or download the presentation slides for reference.
Dr. Klaus Lucke is a senior acoustician at JASCO Australia. He conducts technical and scientific programs to assess the impacts of underwater sound, including acoustic measurements, ambient noise characterisation, marine mammal detection, sound quantification from seismic surveys and pile driving, and soundscape analysis. Klaus’s broad research record in bioacoustics spans from odontocetes to sharks and reef fish. His extensive research in bioacoustics supports his ongoing work in engaging the underwater acoustics regulatory community to continually improve exposure criteria to keep pace with scientific knowledge.
