Shipping noise predictions from AIS in the Faial-Pico area, Azores archipelago

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Abstract
The Azores archipelago, lying on the North Atlantic (NA) ocean, hosts one of the greatest diversities of cetaceans, and is an important habitat for several resident and migratory species. However, this unique diversity may be at risk due to the ocean noise generated by increasing commercial and recreational vessel traffic in the area. AIS shipping distribution and water column variability, together with suitable numerical propagation models were used to generate noise level maps for the area around Faial-Pico-São Jorge Islands, during June 2018. The generated noise level time-space distribution generally agrees with detected environmental variability and known navigation in the area, namely ferries between islands and fishing patterns.
Funding Information
  • European Regional Development Fund (EAPA 52/2018)

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