Robinson, S; Harris, P; Cheong, S H; Wang, L; Livina, V; Haratabus, G; Zampolli, M; Nielsen, P (2023) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of deep-ocean acoustic noise. Scientific Reports, 13. 4631

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Abstract

The extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic led to measures to mitigate the spread of the disease, with lockdowns and mobility restrictions at national and international levels. These measures led to sudden and sometimes dramatic reductions in human activity, including in the maritime sector, for example with significant reductions in ship traffic. Here we report on a reduction of deep-ocean acoustic noise in three ocean basins in 2020, based on data acquired by hydroacoustic stations in the International Monitoring System (IMS) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The noise levels are compared with the predicted levels obtained from modelling data from previous years using Gaussian Process regression, a machine learning method which provides a flexible way of modelling data to account for evolving seasonal and long-term trends, and also provides uncertainties in the predicted levels. Comparison of the predictions with measured data for 2020 shows reductions of between 1 dB and 3 dB in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 100 Hz for all but one of the stations. A strong correlation between the observed noise reductions and independent measurements of ship traffic suggests that the downturn in human activity may be at least partly a cause.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Hydrophone, noise, ocean, COVID
Subjects:	Acoustics > Underwater Acoustics
Divisions:	Medical, Marine & Nuclear
Identification number/DOI:	10.1038/s41598-023-31376-3
Last Modified:	21 Jun 2023 13:36
URI:	https://eprintspublications.npl.co.uk/id/eprint/9761