HR Wallingford, the international hydraulic and environmental engineering consultancy, has formed a partnership with Loughborough University to develop a new underwater acoustic propagation and noise-impact model.

Designed to work with proven HR Wallingford ecological models, the new model is an important first step in assessing the impact of underwater noise on fish and sea mammal behaviour. It can be applied in marine renewable energy, oil and gas extraction, dredging and other settings. “Our new underwater noise-impact modelling tool is being designed to assist environmental impact assessment practitioners and developers,” says HR Wallingford Environment Group Manager, Nicola Clay . “In this topical and increasingly important area, our new tool will help them to apply the best available science to a wide range of situations.”