This part of IEC 62600 provides uniform methodologies to consistently characterize the sound produced by the operation of marine energy converters that generate electricity, including wave, current, and ocean thermal energy conversion. This document does not include the characterization of sound associated with installation, maintenance, or decommissioning of these converters, nor does it establish thresholds for determining environmental impacts. Characterization refers to received levels of sound at particular ranges, depths, and orientations to a marine energy converter. Informative Annex B provides guidance on additional measurements that would be necessary to estimate source levels.

The scope of this document encompasses methods and instrumentation to characterize sound near marine energy converters, as well as the presentation of this information for use by regulatory agencies, industry, and researchers. Guidance is given for instrumentation calibration, deployment methods around specific types of marine energy converters, analysis procedures, and reporting requirements.

This document is applicable to characterization of sound from individual converters and arrays. This document primarily describes measurement procedures for individual converters, with extension to arrays discussed in informative Annex A.