Marine Seismic Survey Impacts On Fish And Invertebrates Review

Seventy peer-reviewed scientific studies on the effects of impulsive low-frequency sound on marine life were synthesized in an initial 2017 literature review. This updated critical review incorporates research from the subsequent four years to maintain current understanding for Australian government policy. The work was produced by Geoscience Australia in collaboration with Curtin University and CSIRO.

Use Cases

• Analyze literature findings on sound exposure metrics like received levels and particle motion for species-specific impact thresholds.
• Identify research gaps concerning impacts on key life stages of commercially important or protected species mentioned in the review.
• Evaluate recommendations for standardizing terminology and measurement of sound exposure data across studies.
• Model population and ecosystem consequences using synthesized data on individual organism responses to seismic signals.
• Assess cumulative impacts by studying the interaction of seismic survey data with other environmental stressors documented in the review.

Strengths

• Synthesizes findings from 70 peer-reviewed scientific studies
• Provides an updated review incorporating four years of recent research
• Collaboratively produced by Geoscience Australia, Curtin University, and CSIRO

Limitations

• Data is a literature review, not primary observational or experimental data
• Focus is primarily on fish and invertebrates, excluding marine mammals
• Identifies research gaps such as limited species coverage and lack of population-scale studies

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Curtin University, CSIRO

Collection Method

Critical synthesis of published peer-reviewed scientific literature

Time Range

Studies reviewed up to 2021, with a base from a 2017 publication

Freshness

Updated review published in 2021, building on a 2017 base.

Geography

Global research focus, intended to inform Australian government policy