UK Marine Noise Registry: 2020 Underwater Noise Events

The UK Marine Noise Registry 2020 outputs contain maps and data tables showing the distribution and duration of impulsive underwater noise events in UK marine waters for the calendar year 2020. Data is aggregated into pulse block days (PBD) using a 10x12 minute latitude/longitude grid based on the UK oil and gas licensing system. The dataset is published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and includes shapefiles and associated documentation.

Use Cases

• Mapping the spatial distribution of underwater noise pollution based on the provided geospatial data.
• Analyzing the duration and frequency of noise events based on the pulse block day (PBD) metric.
• Identifying activity types contributing to marine noise based on the associated data tables.
• Assessing cumulative noise exposure for marine species within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone.

Strengths

• Specific temporal coverage for the calendar year 2020.
• Spatial data is provided in shapefile format for GIS analysis.
• Includes a data dictionary and caveats document for interpretation guidance.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the UK EEZ.

Provenance

Source

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Collection Method

Registry data aggregated into pulse block days using the UK oil and gas licensing grid.

Time Range

Calendar year 2020 (January 1st to December 31st).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 09:48:17.890093; freshness should be verified.

Geography

UK marine waters (UK Exclusive Economic Zone).