Early-Stage Workshop

A focused and essential workshop was held in Trieste on 15–16 October 2024, bringing together representatives from companies, the TG Noise group, and EU projects working on underwater radiated noise. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss ongoing activities, and explore potential synergies in modeling approaches and mitigation strategies.

The workshop aimed to share knowledge among projects, identify research overlaps and gaps, and define case studies aligned with EU directives. A breakout session was organized to discuss three key areas:

• Noise maps and modeling

• Biological impacts – the concept of LOBE

• Socioeconomic consequences of mitigation measures

Key takeaways:

• Strengthened collaboration and information exchange among related projects.

• Identification of open issues to be prioritized by the TG Noise group.

Discussion highlights:

Selection of indicator species: The group debated whether selection should be based on data availability, economic importance, or broader ecosystem relevance. Sessile invertebrates were noted as promising candidates due to their ecological importance and ease of study.

Economic analysis: Discussions addressed the feasibility of different mitigation strategies, including vessel slow-down procedures, re-routing, convoy sailing, fleet renewal, and the adoption of alternative propulsion systems.

Numerical modeling: A need was identified to harmonize modeling approaches through benchmark cases. It was emphasized that no single sound map can serve all purposes, a multi-scale approach is required to meet different objectives, levels of detail, and sources of noise.