DOI: 10.5061/dryad.g3603
title: Data from: Responses of bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises to impact and vibration piling noise during harbor construction

description: The development of risk assessments for the exposure of protected
 populations to noise from coastal construction is constrained by
 uncertainty over the nature and extent of marine mammal responses to
 man-made noise. Stakeholder concern often focuses on the potential for
 local displacement caused by impact piling, where piles are hammered into
 the seabed. To mitigate this threat, use of vibration piling, where piles
 are shaken into place with a vibratory hammer, is often encouraged due to
 presumed impact reduction. However, data on comparative responses of
 cetaceans to these different noise sources are lacking. We studied the
 responses of bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises to both impact and
 vibration pile driving noise during harbor construction works in northeast
 Scotland, using passive acoustic monitoring devices to record cetacean
 activity and noise recorders to measure and predict received noise levels.
 Local abundance and patterns of occurrence of bottlenose dolphins were
 also compared with a five-year baseline. The median peak-to-peak source
 level estimated for impact piling was 240 dB re 1 μPa (single-pulse sound
 exposure level [SEL] 198 dB re 1 μPa2 s), and the r.m.s. source level for
 vibration piling was 192 dB re 1 μPa. Predicted received broadband SEL
 values 812 m from the piling site were markedly lower due to high
 propagation loss: 133.4 dB re 1 μPa2 s (impact) and 128.9 dB re 1 μPa2 s
 (vibration). Bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises were not excluded
 from sites in the vicinity of impact piling or vibration piling;
 nevertheless, some small effects were detected. Bottlenose dolphins spent
 a reduced period of time in the vicinity of construction works during both
 impact and vibration piling. The probability of occurrence of both
 cetacean species was also slightly less during periods of vibration
 piling. This work provides developers and managers with the first evidence
 of the comparative effects of vibration and impact piling on small
 cetaceans, enabling more informed risk assessments, policy frameworks, and
 mitigation plans. In particular, our results emphasize the need for better
 understanding of noise levels and behavioral responses to vibration piling
 before recommending its use to mitigate impact piling.
description: Data on dolphin
 occurrence (from CPODs) for analyses of responses of dolphins to piling
 activity1. Data on dolphin
 occurrence (from CPODs) for analyses of responses of dolphins to piling
 activity (see Fig. 1, Fig. 4a & Fig. 7a,b,d,e). Filename = “dolphin
 presence & DPH12 CPOD data 2013-2014.txt” Fourteen columns = Location,
 Date, Julday, Presence, DPH12, Latitude, Longitude, Line_sight,
 Dist_impact, Year, Block, Impact, Vibration, Area. Julday is Julian day.
 Presence is the presence or absence (coded 1 or 0) of dolphins on each day
 of sampling (from 06:00 to 18:00). DPH12 is the number of hours within the
 12-hour period (from 06:00 to 18:00) in which dolphins were detected.
 Line_sight indicates whether or not a location is within line of sight of
 the piling location (coded 1 or 0). Dist_impact is the minimum at-sea
 distance between each location and the piling location in meters. Block is
 the year concatenated with Julian day, used as the grouping factor for the
 GEEs (at the larger temporal scale). Impact is coded as two levels: 1
 (impact piling), 0 (no impact piling). Vibration is coded as two levels: 1
 (vibration piling), 0 (no vibration piling). Area is coded as two levels:
 1 (within the Cromarty Firth), 0 (outside the Cromarty
 Firth).dolphin presence & DPH12
 CPOD data 2013-2014.txtData on porpoise
 occurrence (from CPODs) for analyses of responses of porpoises to piling
 activityData on porpoise
 occurrence (from CPODs) for analyses of responses of porpoises to piling
 activity (see Fig. 1, Fig. 4b & Fig. 7g,h,j,k). Filename = “porpoise
 presence & DPH12 CPOD data 2013-2014.txt” Fourteen columns = Location,
 Date, Julday, Presence, DPH12, Latitude, Longitude, Line_sight,
 Dist_impact, Year, Block, Impact, Vibration, Area. Julday is Julian day.
 Presence is the presence or absence (coded 1 or 0) of porpoises on each
 day of sampling (from 06:00 to 18:00). DPH12 is the number of hours within
 the 12-hour period (from 06:00 to 18:00) in which porpoises were detected.
 Line_sight indicates whether or not a location is within line of sight of
 the piling location (coded 1 or 0). Dist_impact is the minimum at-sea
 distance between each location and the piling location in meters. Block is
 the year concatenated with Julian day, used as the grouping factor for the
 GEEs (at the larger temporal scale). Impact is coded as two levels: 1
 (impact piling), 0 (no impact piling). Vibration is coded as two levels: 1
 (vibration piling), 0 (no vibration piling). Area is coded as two levels:
 1 (within the Cromarty Firth), 0 (outside the Cromarty
 Firth).porpoise presence & DPH12
 CPOD data 2013-2014.txtData on dolphin
 encounter durations (from CPODs) for analyses of responses of dolphins to
 piling activityData on dolphin
 encounter durations (from CPODs) for analyses of responses of dolphins to
 piling activity (see Fig. 7c,f). Filename = “dolphin encounter durations
 CPOD data 2013-2014.txt” Fourteen columns = Location, Year, Durations,
 Date & Time, Hour, Latitude, Longitude, Line_sight, Dist_impact,
 Julday, Block, Impact, Vibration, Area. Durations is the duration (s) of
 each dolphin encounter that started between 06:00 to 18:00. Date &
 Time is the start time of each encounter. Hour is the hour in which each
 encounter started. Line_sight indicates whether or not a location is
 within line of sight of the piling location (coded 1 or 0). Dist_impact is
 the minimum at-sea distance between each location and the piling location
 in meters. Julday is Julian day. Block is the year concatenated with
 Julian day, used as the grouping factor for the GEEs (at the larger
 temporal scale). Impact is coded as two levels: 1 (impact piling), 0 (no
 impact piling). Vibration is coded as two levels: 1 (vibration piling), 0
 (no vibration piling). Area is coded as two levels: 1 (within the Cromarty
 Firth), 0 (outside the Cromarty Firth).dolphin encounter durations
 CPOD data 2013-2014.txtData on porpoise
 encounter durations (from CPODs) for analyses of responses of porpoises to
 piling activityData on porpoise
 encounter durations (from CPODs) for analyses of responses of porpoises to
 piling activity (see Fig. 7i,l). Filename = “porpoise encounter durations
 CPOD data 2013-2014.txt” Fourteen columns = Location, Year, Durations,
 Date & Time, Hour, Latitude, Longitude, Line_sight, Dist_impact,
 Julday, Block, Impact, Vibration, Area. Durations is the duration (s) of
 each porpoise encounter that started between 06:00 to 18:00. Date &
 Time is the start time of each encounter. Hour is the hour in which each
 encounter started. Line_sight indicates whether or not a location is
 within line of sight of the piling location (coded 1 or 0). Dist_impact is
 the minimum at-sea distance between each location and the piling location
 in meters. Julday is Julian day. Block is the year concatenated with
 Julian day, used as the grouping factor for the GEEs (at the larger
 temporal scale). Impact is coded as two levels: 1 (impact piling), 0 (no
 impact piling). Vibration is coded as two levels: 1 (vibration piling), 0
 (no vibration piling). Area is coded as two levels: 1 (within the Cromarty
 Firth), 0 (outside the Cromarty Firth).porpoise encounter durations
 CPOD data 2013-2014.txtData for analysis of
 daily broadband ambient noise levels at site 1Data for analysis of
 daily broadband ambient noise levels at site 1 on days in which piling
 (impact, vibration, or both piling types) did or did not occur. Filename =
 “daily broadband noise levels.txt” Three columns = Date, Broadband, Piling
 Broadband is the averaged broadband (0.1-10 kHz) RMS ambient noise levels
 (dB re 1 µPa) Piling is coded as four levels: No, Impact, Vibration,
 Bothdaily
 broadband noise levels.txtHourly broadband noise
 levels at site 1Hourly broadband noise
 levels at site 1 during 10-min samples (see Fig. 3). Filename = “hourly
 broadband noise levels.txt” Three columns = Date & Time, Broadband,
 Piling Broadband is the averaged broadband (0.1-10 kHz) RMS ambient noise
 levels (dB re 1 µPa) Piling is coded as three levels: No, Impact,
 Vibrationhourly broadband noise
 levels.txtData on cetacean
 occurrence (from CPODs) for long-term monitoring siteData on cetacean
 occurrence (from CPODs) for long-term monitoring site at the entrance to
 the Cromarty Firth during baseline period (2009-2013) and 2014 (see Fig.
 5). Filename = “Sutors CPOD data 2009-2014.txt” Three columns = Date,
 Porpoise_DPH, Dolphin_DPH Porpoise_DPH is the number of hours in each day
 that porpoises were detected. Dolphin_DPH is the number of hours in each
 day that dolphins were detected.Sutors CPOD data
 2009-2014.txtData on bottlenose
 dolphin abundance estimatesData on bottlenose
 dolphin abundance estimates in the Special Area of Conservation and the
 Cromarty Firth (see Fig. 6). Filename = “BND Abundance Estimates.txt” Five
 columns = Year, Area, Abundance_Estimate, Lower_95%CI, Upper_95%CI Area is
 coded as two levels: SAC, Cromarty Firth.BND Abundance
 Estimates.txtDetails of each data
 packageReadme.txt file for data
 packages associated with paper on “Responses of bottlenose dolphins and
 harbor porpoises to impact and vibration piling noise during harbor
 construction” Data were collected by the University of Aberdeen and
 collaborators on a project funded through the UK Department of Energy
 & Climate Change Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment
 Programme using equipment previously purchased by DECC, Scottish
 Government, Oil and Gas UK, COWRIE and Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd..
 Contact for queries is Isla Graham, i.graham@abdn.ac.uk