Abstract
Continuous anthropogenic noise may exert a significant pressure on the marine environment due to its constancy and extent over vast areas. The aim of these guidelines is to provide a standardized procedure to ensure that the output data from the monitoring are compatible with the HELCOM pre-core indicator ‘Continuous low frequency anthropogenic sound’.
The procedure for data to the pre-core indicator ‘Continuous low frequency anthropogenic sound’ is to record ambient noise in the Baltic Sea, process the data to achieve temporal averages for selected frequency bands and store the data nationally. Subsequently, as part of the regional monitoring sub-programme the procedure includes storing the processed data together with modelled maps in a common data-sharing platform and a soundscape planning tool that will be open access. This way, data on measured and modelled sound pressure levels from the monitoring sub-program will provide spatiotemporal information that can be used for assessment of short-term status and long-term trends in sound pressure levels locally and regionally.