This paper is concerned with human activities relating to offshore exploration and exploitation that have adverse effects on marine animals. It addresses noise pollution caused by tasks such as piling, drilling, exploration etc. Loud noise produced during offshore operations can seriously affect one of the main senses – hearing. The paper examines sources of noise and methods of mitigating it to tolerable levels. Research is focused on the use of bubble curtains for noise reduction. The main conclusion is that the bubble curtain is a recognised noise reduction/shielding method and its effectiveness is dependent on bubble size and water depth in addition to water temperature, density and salinity.

Keywords:
Reservoir Characterization, Upstream Oil & Gas, environmental impact, characteristic, sustainability, attenuation, frequency range, sustainable development, frequency, Effectiveness
Subjects:
Drilling Equipment, Reservoir Characterization, Environment, Sustainability/Social Responsibility, Sustainable development
Copyright 2013, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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