Ports are noisy environments - also and particularly under water - and excessive noise can have negative impact on marine life. Can ECOncrete, and the subsequent growth of biology on the quay walls, piles, piers and breakwaters, reduce 'noise pollution' in ports?
While efficient ports are economically vital to the development of their surrounding areas, the related ship traffic, the handling of the goods and further distribution cause several negative environmental impacts. One example of these impacts, sometimes overlooked, is noise pollution, a consequence of the high volume of activities carried out simultaneously in a port.
These rising noise levels can negatively impact ocean animals and ecosystems. Noise reduces the ability of animals to communicate and lowers ocean animals’ ability to hear environmental cues that are vital for survival, including avoiding predators, finding food, and navigating to preferred habitats.
The combination of the semi-closed area of the ports together with the concrete-based seawalls increases the sound conductivity even more, compared to the open sea. Therefore, noise pollution becomes a chronic stressor for the marine ecosystem inhabiting ports worldwide.
The LIVING PORTS project reduces the ecological footprint of ports with ECOncrete® ’s bio enhancing concrete technologies. As part of the project’s objectives, specialists will monitor and test, for the first time, the effect of implementing ecological concrete in the port’s infrastructure on noise pollution reduction.
