Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01633:body:0:p27
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01633
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 73511–76439

noises from a wide range of activities. They also create additional shipping traffic especially around marinas and ports, and additional helicopter activity around oil and gas platforms to transport personnel. Such developments are subject to the EPBC Act in Australia. Most of these infrastructure projects require pile-driving during construction, which involves driving piles (beams or posts) into the seafloor to support the foundations of the structure. This creates strong (e.g. dependent on hammer energy; 237 dB re: 1 µPa @ 1 m for 1000 kJ hammer) and predominately low frequency (<1000 Hz) intermittent noise49. Oil and gas developments also include other activities that contribute to anthropogenic noise, including trenching and pipe-laying during construction, drilling, power generation and pumping during operation, and explosions. Avoidance of drilling rigs has been shown for other baleen whales98.
Marine renewable energy facilities are a relatively recent industrial development that is growing worldwide. These include offshore wind farms, wave power sites and tidal power sites. There are currently no offshore wind farms in Australian waters, though their development is possible in the future78,67.
Sonar is used to locate and characterise objects underwater. Passive sonar is when submarines, ships or animals are located by listening for them. This form of sonar does not add any anthropogenic noise to the environment. However active sonar involves the production of sound and using the sound echo to detect objects. Active sonar is used over a range of frequencies. Low frequencies can travel further (e.g. hundreds of kilometres) but have low resolution, medium frequencies are used for moderate ranges (e.g. < 10 km), and high frequencies which have high resolution49.
Commercial and general sonar is usually active, high frequency sonar to detect the sea floor or fish. Worldwide, military use low to mid frequency sonar to detect submarines and ships from a distance, or high frequencies to detect mines on the sea floor. Their long-range detection sonar is often high-powered (>235 dB re: 1 µPa @ 1 m49). Only mid to high frequency sonar are used in Australian waters, including by the Royal Australian Navy or any visiting Navy28 .  The Royal Australian Navy in consultation with the Department of the Environment has adopted mitigation procedures for the use of military sonar to avoid potential impacts on marine mammals. Activities involving the use of military sonar are subject to thorough defence environmental assessment procedures.
Shipping noise
Ships create noise from machinery, their physical movement through water and sonar. The sound produced is unique for each vessel. Generally large commercial ships produce frequencies mostly between 10 to 50 Hz, and small boats between 1 to 5 kHz49. Ships generally produce louder noise as they increase in size and speed49. Shipping noise is