Impact Assessment of Underwater Drilling and Blasting Construction based on AHP-cloud Model

The water shock wave and seismic vibrations produced during underwater drilling and blasting operations pose significant risks to adjacent structures, aquatic ecosystems, and maritime safety. To facilitate a comprehensive multi-factor assessment and intuitive classification of construction impacts, this study establishes a detailed three-tier evaluation framework that integrates hydrogeological conditions, blasting parameters, and safety measures. Construction impacts are categorized into four levels:green, yellow, orange, and red. Addressing the inherent fuzziness and randomness in evaluation processes, this research introduces an integrated AHP-Cloud Model assessment methodology:the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) assigns index weight coefficients to resolve multi-criteria weight subjectivity, while the Cloud Model allows for probabilistic conversion between qualitative impact categories and quantitative monitoring data via uncertainty mapping algorithms. Validation was performed utilizing the navigation channel improvement project in the Fuling-Fengdu section of the upper Yangtze River as a case study. The results demonstrate that the impact cloud droplets predominantly cluster within the medium impact‘(orange) grade, with minor dispersion toward the high impact’(red) grade, exhibiting strong agreement with field monitoring data across river sections. This study confirms the efficacy of the AHP-Cloud Model for underwater blasting impact assessment, offering scientific insights to support adaptive construction planning and ecological conservation strategies.