Aerodynamic noise emissions from
the continuously growing number of wind turbines in Germany are creating increasing problems for infrasound recording systems. These systems are equipped with highly sensitive micro pressure sensors accurately measuring acoustic signals in a frequency range inaudible to
the human ear. Ten years of data (2006–2015) from
the infrasound array IGADE in Nor
thern Germany are analysed to quantify
the influence of wind turbine noise on infrasound recordings. Fur
thermore, a
theoretical model is derived and validated by a field experiment with mobile micro-barometer stations. Fieldwork was carried out 2004 to measure
the infrasonic pressure level of a single horizontal-axis wind turbine and to extrapolate
the sound effect for a larger number of nearby wind turbines. The model estimates
the generated sound pressure level of wind turbines and thus enables for specifying
the minimum allowable distance between wind turbines and infrasound stations for undisturbed recording.
This aspect is particularly important to guarantee the monitoring performance of the German infrasound stations I26DE in the Bavarian Forest and I27DE in Antarctica. These stations are part of the International Monitoring System (IMS) verifying compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and thus have to meet stringent specifications with respect to infrasonic background noise.