The location of the underwater cable off the coast of California will be used for the ocean sound listening project.
Landslides, earthquakes, or the melodic songs of whales… The open sea can be extremely noisy, vibrant with a multitude of harmonies. Soon, we will understand these deep melodies thanks to special devices that record ocean sounds.
In an effort to explore the mysteries of life beneath the ocean, American scientists have deployed a hydrophone off the coast of California. “There are many things that create noise in the ocean. Whales, dolphins, sperm whales, or the creaking sounds emanating from the Earth’s core,” said Chris Fox, a marine scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Together with other scientists, Fox set sail days ago on a research vessel from San Francisco to the vicinity of Monterey Bay, where they deployed a series of electronic listening devices into the deep waters of an underwater trench. This marks the first time that underwater microphones are being used entirely for civilian purposes. Previously, this equipment was utilized by the U.S. military to eavesdrop on the rumbling or humming sounds emitted from vessels and submarines.
In this research, scientists are particularly interested in blue whales and similar massive animals that are at risk of extinction. The audio data will help them track their migration routes off the Pacific coast. Additionally, marine biologists hope to detect sounds from landslides and earthquakes (sometimes occurring thousands of miles away), as well as the mysterious sounds of the ocean.