Monitoring pile driving noise with IcListen

Pile driving is a standard technique used in the construction of offshore and coastal infrastructure such as ports, bridges, offshore wind turbines, oil platforms, and breakwaters. However, this activity generates high-intensity impulsive sounds that propagate through the water column, often over long distances and at sound pressure levels that can exceed thresholds harmful to marine life.

These impulsive acoustic events may lead to:

• Physiological impacts, such as barotrauma or damage to auditory structures in fish and marine mammals;
• Behavioral disturbances, including avoidance responses, altered foraging or migration patterns;
• Habitat displacement, where species abandon important ecological zones due to chronic or acute acoustic stress.

Due to these potential impacts, environmental regulations issued by agencies such as DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada) and BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, USA) require rigorous underwater noise monitoring and impact assessments prior to and during marine construction activities.

IcListen: Integrated Digital Hydrophone for Impulsive Sound Monitoring

IcListen is a compact, autonomous digital smart hydrophone specifically designed for high-resolution acquisition, processing, and real-time analysis of underwater acoustic signals, including high-energy pile-driving impulsive noise events. The system features:

• A high-sensitivity pressure acoustic sensor;
• An onboard digital signal processor (DSP) for real-time data analysis;
• Integrated data logging and live streaming capabilities.

When deployed near a pile driving operation, IcListen enables:

• Accurate measurement of Peak Sound Pressure Level (SPLpk) and Root Mean Square Sound Pressure Level (SPLrms);
• Time–frequency domain analysis to characterize energy distribution across events;
• Support for propagation modeling to estimate sound exposure levels (SEL) at various receiver locations.

Advantages of using IcListen for pile driving noise monitoring

Standards-compliant measurements

• Supports acoustic metrics consistent with international regulatory frameworks (e.g., SPLpk, SEL, T90, Sound Exposure Level thresholds) required by DFO, BOEM, NOAA;
• Enables assessments aligned with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) protocols.

User-friendly deployment – No acoustic expertise required

• Plug-and-play design with pre-configured settings for common monitoring tasks;
• Event-triggered recording for impulsive signals;
• Accessible to environmental field teams and non-acoustic specialists.

Compact, rugged, and field-ready

• Lightweight and rated for deep-sea deployments (>2000 m depth);
• Ideal for both fixed station monitoring and mobile surveys (e.g., vessel-towed, AUVs).

Automated data processing and reporting

• Generates detailed automated reports on SPL, SEL, FFT, PSD, and acoustic event timing;
• Compatible with established post-processing platforms such as PAMGuard, MATLAB, Raven, and Audacity.

Applications in Sustainable Offshore Development

The integration of underwater passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) with digital hydrophones like IcListen offers significant benefits for sustainable operations in:

• Marine civil engineering and port development;
• Offshore renewable energy projects;
• Oil and gas exploration and decommissioning;
• Marine conservation and ecological research.

By enabling continuous, high-resolution, and science-based acoustic monitoring, IcListen supports both environmental stewardship and project risk management.

Recommended IcListen Products for Pile Driving Monitoring

Model	IcListen HF	IcListen AF
Frequency Range	10 Hz – 200 kHz	1 Hz – 50 kHz
Application	High-resolution monitoring of impulsive sources	Low-frequency acoustic assessment (e.g., baleen whales)
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IcListen represents a robust, accurate, and accessible solution for monitoring the acoustic impact of pile driving activities in marine environments. By combining digital hydrophone technology, real-time analysis, and regulatory-ready reporting, IcListen empowers stakeholders in offshore industries to meet both environmental and operational goals.

From regulatory compliance to ecological protection, IcListen ensures your projects align with the latest standards for sustainable marine development.

📩 Contact Reecotech today to find the right IcListen configuration for your project needs — from site-specific deployment to post-processing and acoustic impact reporting.