{"id":449084,"date":"2026-06-07T11:20:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=449084"},"modified":"2026-06-07T15:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T22:39:30","slug":"modern-wind-turbines-produce-stronger-infrasound-than-previously-thought-new-3d-simulations-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=449084","title":{"rendered":"Modern Wind Turbines Produce Stronger Infrasound Than Previously Thought, New 3D Simulations Show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Researchers analyzed real-world measurements from Swedish wind farms (e.g., M\u00e5larberget<\/strong> with Vestas V150 turbines and Lervik <\/strong>with SG170 turbines) and validated them with advanced 3D simulations (SoundSim360 tool).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern large turbines<\/strong> (tall hubs ~200m, large rotors) produce stronger infrasound signals <\/strong>(below 20 Hz, inaudible) than older, smaller models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Levels are significantly higher than previously reported\/assumed in many models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infrasound <\/strong>propagates farther than earlier assumptions, influenced by terrain, weather, wind direction, and atmospheric conditions (e.g., stable nighttime layers enhance propagation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shutdown tests <\/strong>at sites like M\u00e5larberget confirmed the turbines as the source: signals dropped markedly when turbines stopped, showing periodic pressure pulses tied to blade-tower interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study highlights limitations in standard calculation models (e.g., they may underestimate real propagation under certain conditions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a recent Swedish research (primarily 2025\u20132026) on infrasound from modern wind turbines, led by Professor Ken Mattsson at Uppsala University.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Efficient finite difference modeling of infrasound propagation in realistic 3D domains: Validation with wind turbine measurements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the full title of the peer-reviewed paper by Ken Mattsson and colleagues (Gustav Eriksson, Leif Persson, Jos\u00e9 Chilo, Kourosh Tatar), published in Applied Acoustics Volume 243, February 2026 (Article 111156).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It became available online around November 2025 and is open access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract (Full)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We present a high-fidelity simulation tool for accurate acoustic modeling across a wide range of applications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The numerical method is based on diagonal-norm Summation-By-Parts (SBP) finite-difference operators, which guarantee linear stability on piecewise curvilinear multi-block grids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realistic three-dimensional atmospheric and topographic data are directly incorporated into the simulations, and the solver is implemented in CUDA to achieve high computational efficiency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verification is performed through convergence studies against highly resolved benchmark problems in both two and three spatial dimensions, while validation is carried out using high-quality infrasound measurements from two modern wind farms in Sweden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results show that modern, large-scale wind turbines generate infrasound levels significantly higher than those reported for older, smaller turbines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These findings advance the understanding of the acoustic characteristics of contemporary wind turbines and provide important guidance for assessing their potential environmental and societal impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n