Biomaterial Database

Hearing frequency thresholds of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) temporarily affected by played back offshore pile driving sounds. 2015

Ronald A Kastelein, and Robin Gransier, and Michelle A T Marijt, and Lean Hoek

Sea Mammal Research Company (SEAMARCO), Julianalaan 46, 3843 CC Harderwijk, The Netherlands.

Harbor porpoises may suffer hearing loss when exposed to intense sounds. After exposure to playbacks of broadband pile driving sounds for 60 min, the temporary hearing threshold shift (TTS) of a porpoise was quantified at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 63, and 125 kHz with a psychoacoustic technique. Details of the pile driving sounds were as follows: pulse duration 124 ms, rate 2760 strikes/h, inter-pulse interval 1.3 s, average received single strike unweighted sound exposure level (SEL) 146 dB re 1 μPa(2) s (cumulative SEL: 180 dB re 1 μPa(2) s). Statistically significant TTS only occurred at 4 and 8 kHz; mean TTS (1-4 min. after sound exposure stopped) was 2.3 dB at 4 kHz, and 3.6 dB at 8 kHz; recovery occurred within 48 min. This study shows that exposure to multiple impulsive sounds with most of their energy in the low frequencies can cause reduced hearing at higher frequencies in harbor porpoises. The porpoise's hearing threshold for the frequency in the range of its echolocation signals was not affected by the pile driving playback sounds.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009622	Noise	Any sound which is unwanted or interferes with HEARING other sounds.	Noise Pollution,Noises,Pollution, Noise
D009792	Oceans and Seas	A great expanse of continuous bodies of salt water which together cover more than 70 percent of the earth's surface. Seas may be partially or entirely enclosed by land, and are smaller than the five oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic).	Seas,Oceans,Seas and Oceans
D011571	Psychoacoustics	The science pertaining to the interrelationship of psychologic phenomena and the individual's response to the physical properties of sound.	Psychoacoustic
D004781	Environmental Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals.	Exposure, Environmental,Environmental Exposures,Exposures, Environmental
D000161	Acoustic Stimulation	Use of sound to elicit a response in the nervous system.	Auditory Stimulation,Stimulation, Acoustic,Stimulation, Auditory
D000162	Acoustics	The branch of physics that deals with sound and sound waves. In medicine it is often applied in procedures in speech and hearing studies. With regard to the environment, it refers to the characteristics of a room, auditorium, theatre, building, etc. that determines the audibility or fidelity of sounds in it. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Acoustic
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001305	Auditory Fatigue	Loss of sensitivity to sounds as a result of auditory stimulation, manifesting as a temporary shift in auditory threshold. The temporary threshold shift, TTS, is expressed in decibels.	Fatigue, Auditory,Temporary Threshold Shift, Auditory,Auditory Fatigues,Fatigues, Auditory
D001522	Behavior, Animal	The observable response an animal makes to any situation.	Autotomy Animal,Animal Behavior,Animal Behaviors