Towards a complete physically based forecast model for underwater noise related to impact pile driving

An approach for the prediction of underwater noise caused by impact pile driving is described and validated based on in situ measurements. The model is divided into three sub-models. The first sub-model, based on the finite element method, is used to describe the vibration of the pile and the resulting acoustic radiation into the surrounding water and soil column. The mechanical excitation of the pile by the piling hammer is estimated by the second sub-model using an analytical approach which takes the large vertical dimension of the ram into account. The third sub-model is based on the split-step Padé solution of the parabolic equation and targets the long-range propagation up to 20 km. In order to presume realistic environmental properties for the validation, a geoacoustic model is derived from spatially averaged geological information about the investigation area. Although it can be concluded from the validation that the model and the underlying assumptions are appropriate, there are some deviations between modeled and measured results. Possible explanations for the observed errors are discussed.