Probes

Probes are used to gain more control over the display of predicted sound levels and can be thought of as hydrophones. Sound levels are calculated throughout the project area, but to see the spectrum and level at a specific point, a probe can be placed there. A scenario can contain multiple probes.

Probes can be moved by entering x and y values in the fields or by clicking and dragging in the main graphic window. The z coordinate is connected to the current vertical levels display method (Preferences → Graphics → Levels Display).

• When this is set to Max from all layers projected to surface, the level shown is the maximum from all vertical layers at that x and y location.
• When this is set to Single layer, the level shown corresponds to the specified z coordinate.

These controls can also be accessed directly from the Probes page by clicking the Show depth controls button.

Probes can be added and removed using the Add probe and Remove probe buttons. The current probe is selected using the dropdown box. The chart displays the spectrum at the current probe location (blue bars), with the current criteria overlaid (blue line). To view the variation in level with depth at the probe location, click the Levels vs depth tab.

The Table to clipboard button copies the current results in the results table to the clipboard, with fields separated by tab characters. This data can be directly pasted into a spreadsheet if the spreadsheet’s field delimiter is set to the tab character.

Levels vs Time

For scenarios with moving sources or time-varying conditions, the Levels vs time tab shows how sound levels at the probe location change over time. You can export the levels and spectrum over time using the export button.

Probe to Source Back-Calculation

The probe to source back-calculation function allows you to:

1. Specify a target received level at a probe location
2. Calculate what source level would be required to produce that level

This is useful for:

• Determining source levels needed to meet regulatory thresholds at specific locations
• Working backwards from impact criteria to source specifications
• Evaluating mitigation requirements

Access this function from the probe controls when a probe is selected.

Distance Display

When viewing distances, dBSea shows the distance from the probe to each source, as well as the angle from source to probe. This helps orient the probe relative to the acoustic sources in the project.