Sounds in the Ocean / Projects - CMR https://www.cmr.

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Monitoring of
anthropogenic and
biological sounds in the
ocean
Characterization and quantification of anthropogenic,
biological and ambient sounds in the oceans are important for
a range of marine industries as well as for enhancing our
understanding of marine ecosystem.

In this project we work with passive acoustic measurements

performed in Norwegian waters, mainly from the Lofoten-
Vesterålen cabled ocean observatory. In addition to the passive

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acoustic recordings we use auxiliary data from the ocean

observatory and other data sources to characterize the acoustic
baseline, and implement methods for continuous monitoring of the
marine soundscape.

Characterization and monitoring of underwater sounds is

important for a range of industries and scientific purposes
including

Oil and gas exploration, construction and operation

Offshore renewables (e.g. offshore wind), construction and
operation
Marine mammal observations
Dredging for shipping lanes
Shipping (e.g. trade and tourism)

The project is motivated by the EU Marine Directive, in which the

goal is to achieve Good Environmental Status of EU marine waters
by 2020, including that the “Introduction of energy (including
underwater noise) does not adversely affect the ecosystem”.

Example recordings from the Norwegian coast

(biophony):

Humpback whale – Knølhval (Megaptera

novaeangliae)

Humpback whales are one of the most studied large baleen whales,

and have one of the most diverse acoustic repertoire. Humpbacks
are famous for their songs, primarily produced in lower-latitude
breeding waters.

Fin whale – Finnhval (Balaenoptera physalus)

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Fin whales produce at least two types of calls (“20 Hz” and “40
Hz” calls). Both types of calls are generally 1 s long downswept
pulses, with the 20 Hz calls sweeping from approximately 23 to 18
Hz. These calls can be produced in regular and irregular sequences.
The 20 Hz calls are often accompanied by a high frequency
component at 130 Hz. The file shows three 20 Hz downswept calls
played back at 10x the original speed.

Example recordings from the Norwegian coast

(anthrophony):

Vessel noise; a 124 m tanker passing at close range (excerpt).

DETAILS
Period
2015-2016

Client
NCE Subsea

Country

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Norway

Download files
Click to download (https://dwoc07ze9j3lr.cloudfront.net/)

CONTACT
Pedersen, Geir
Senior Scientist
More details » (/person/pedersen--geir/)

RELATED
Application
» Advanced data analysis for Oil&Gas (/applications/advanced-
data-analysis/)
» Investigating the Ocean (/applications/investigating-the-ocean/)
» Marine Habitat Mapping (/applications/marine-habitat-mapping/)
» Water Quality Monitoring (/applications/water-quality-monitoring/)

Expertise
» Acoustics (/expertise/10354/acoustics/)

Location Visiting Address

Postal Address Christian Michelsen Research AS
Christian Michelsen Research AS Fantoftvegen 38
P.O. Box 6031 Bergen
(/) NO-5892 Bergen Norway
Christian Michelsen Research (/)
Norway
Phone: +47 55 57 40 40    
  NO 965 243 798 VAT

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