Prediction of shipping noise in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Shipping noise is one of the most common underwater sounds and a substantial component of ambient noise in the sea. Traveling vessels are sources of low-frequency acoustic waves which propagate efficiently through the water mass and thus affect underwater noise levels at large distances from the major shipping lanes. The present work deals with the development of an operational system for prediction of shipping noise in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Location and condition data for ships traveling in the area are obtained in near real time from the MarineTraffic database of AIS (Automatic Identification System) vessel tracking data. Taking into account prevailing temperature and sound-speed distributions, as well as the exact bathymetry in the area, range-dependent propagation calculations are carried out and the three dimensional distribution of sound intensity is estimated. Results for the distribution of noise level at various depths are presented on a geographical background (map) and periodically updated. The results are published on the internet.