Characterizing the Baseline Soundscape at the Jennette's Pier Wave Energy Test Center

In preparation for recording sound from wave energy conversion (WEC) devices, Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) has analyzed the baseline soundscape at the Jennette's Pier Wave Energy Test Center. Hydrophones were deployed at this site on several days with various wind and wave conditions. The recordings were grouped into bins according to wind speed and wind direction. Biogenic noise was detected, including dolphin clicks and whistles as well as fish vocalizations. The power spectral density per bin was calculated both before and after removing the biogenic noise. For one of the four hydrophone deployments in this study, the recording was dominated by fish vocalizations. Since the fish vocalizations are in the same frequency band as the expected noise from a WEC device, this biogenic noise source could make it challenging to characterize the sound of a WEC device at this site.