Funding: European Commission 2021-2025 (LIFE20 ENV/ES/000387)
Overview: The maritime traffic of the Cartagena Port (Murcia, Spain) has exponentially increased in recent years, and it has become the main source of continuous noise in the local marine environment, being identified as an underwater noise pollution area in the Marine Strategy of the Levantine-Balearic Demarcation. The main objective of the LIFE PortSounds project is to reduce the impact of underwater noise on the marine environment of the Port of Cartagena. To achieve this aim, the project has the following specific objectives: Identification and characterisation of underwater noise sources; Mapping and assessment of the influence of marine traffic; Mapping and assessment of the impact of underwater noise on biodiversity, by monitoring the abundance, distribution and physiological state of three cetacean species, bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) and long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), catalogued as species of Community interest in the annexes of the EU Habitats Directive; Development and implementation of noise mitigation measures; Development of a noise management tool (Decision Support System, DSS); Creation of governance mechanisms (technical working group) to agree and assess the mitigation measures needed to prevent the impact of underwater noise in marine ecosystems; and Assessment of the feasibility and transfer potential of applying the project’s mitigation measures and the noise management tool to other Port Authorities.
Funding: DG environment EU, 2019-2021
Overview: To develop a risk-based approach to support coordinated regional and sub-regional implementation of the MSFD based on the commission decision on GES by providing a replicable, transparent and standardized decision processes based on international best practice for risk management. We have worked to show how the underwater noise (Descriptor 11) can be integrated in the risk-based approach.
Funding: DG environment EU, 2018-2019
Overview: To improve the level of coherence and the comparability as regards to Descriptor 11 (underwater noise) by establishing, among others: standards on calibration, best practices for deployment of passive acoustic recorders, and standarization of signal processing when extracting 1/3 octave bands SPL levels.
On Onda Regional Murcia’s Conexión Europa programme, Teresa Allepuz, a regular contributor to the station, recently interviewed Fermín Rol, Head of Strategic Projects and Innovation at the Port Authority of Cartagena.
The Life PortSounds project presented at the ECS 2025 Congress the first results on the characterisation of underwater noise in the Port of Cartagena and its impact on cetaceans.
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