ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Ecosystem Ecology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1655366
Underwater Noise Levels in the Strait of Gibraltar and Surrounding Waters: Findings from the AMIGOS Survey
Provisionally accepted
- Atlantic Technological University - Galway City, Galway, Ireland
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Snapshots of underwater sound were collected during a multidisciplinary research survey at 14 stations south of the Iberian Peninsula, including the Strait of Gibraltar, an area characterised by intense maritime traffic. Sound Pressure Levels (SPLs) were quantified at each station using 1/3-octave bands, with a focus on the 63 Hz and 125 Hz centred frequency bands, as recommended by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). When possible, the main noise sources were also identified. SPLs in the 63 Hz band ranged from 104.91 to 132.24 dB re 1 μPa, with an average of 113.21 dB re 1 μPa. In the 125 Hz band, SPLs ranged from 104.31 to 129.82 dB re 1 μPa, with an average of 110.27 dB re 1 μPa. The highest SPLs were recorded at the stations in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea. A methodology consisting of attaching a SoundTrap to the research vessel's CTD rosette was tested and proved to be an effective approach for assessing the underwater soundscape from vessels of opportunity.
Keywords: Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), Sound Pressure Levels (SPL), soundscape, anthropogenic noise, Strait of Gibraltar
Received: 27 Jun 2025; Accepted: 15 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Perez Tadeo and O’Brien. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Maria Perez Tadeo, Atlantic Technological University - Galway City, Galway, Ireland
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