Moored measurement of the ambient noise and analysis with environmental factors in the coastal sea of Jeju Island

Abstract

Underwater ambient noise was measured at the eastern and western costal sites of Jeju Island where the water depth was 20 m by a hydrophone moored at mid-depth (10 m) for 4 months. These eastern and western sites were selected as potential sites for offshore wind power generator and the current wave energy generator, respectively. Ambient noise was affected by environmental data such as wind and wave, which were collected from nearby weather stations and an observation station. Below 100 Hz, ambient noise was changed about 5 dB ~ 20 dB due to low and high tide. Below 1 kHz, wave and wind effects were the main source for ambient noise, varying up to 25 dB. Ambient noise was strongly influenced by wave at lower frequency and by wind at higher frequency up to over 1 kHz. The higher frequency range over 10 kHz was influenced by rainfall and biological sources, and the spectrum was measured about 10 dB higher than the peak spectrum level from Wenz curve at this frequency range.