Mapping and quantifying underwater noise from recreational boats and its environmental impact in coastal ecosystems: Development of new methods and planning of Swedish case study

Important results from the project

The project has given IVL the opportunity to develop a research project together with other partners and produce a competitive proposal to the Horizon call CL6-ZEROPOLLUTION-01. IVL´s unique expertise contributes across several work packages; we lead tasks focusing on mapping recreational boat noise, effects on invertebrates and development of framework for measuring and comparing ship noise. The project has also strengthened collaborations with research actors and stakeholders in EU and Sweden.

Expected long term effects

The project has strengthened established collaborations and enabled new contacts with actors in the underwater noise field in large parts of the EU. This network of leading research actors, policy makers and NGOs is of great importance for IVL´s role in future research projects. It also strengthens Sweden´s work and policy development at national level, within the EU and internationally, to assess and reduce the environmental impact of underwater noise on marine species and ecosystem functions.

Approach and implementation

- Regular consortium and WP meetings have been held to design and plan concepts, methodology, tasks and budget for the main project. Based on these discussions and input from all partners, an EU proposal has been developed that meets the call’s requirements and expected outcomes. - IVL’s contribution and the Swedish case study have been developed in dialogue with the international consortium, as well as with Swedish actors and stakeholders to ensure the project’s relevance at national level.