• Earthquakes & Tsunamis

    Using low-frequency hydrophones scientists and researchers record undersea volcanoes and earthquakes just like any other sound. The mass of energy released is what’s known as thrust faulting. Thrust faulting happens when one tectonic plate dives under another. As the seismic energy from the earthquake spreads through the water it can set off a tsunami. Hydrophones that monitor for volcano, earthquake and tsunami sounds can be deployed in various ways. They can be attached to an underwater observatory, they can be dropped into the water from ocean vessels, attached to a float, or anchored to the seafloor. Using these various deployment methods scientists are able to detect earthquakes that strike in the middle of the ocean.

  • Sea Ice Monitoring

    Ice breakup is a major component of the natural ocean sound field. With the recent widespread decreases in sea ice concentrations, researchers want to establish acoustic measurements for the ocean’s natural sound levels prior to increases in anthropogenic activities. Using hydrophones for long-term acoustic monitoring is an effective tool for observing changing levels of ambient sound related to sea ice dynamics, environmental noise-generating mechanisms, and anthropogenic noise, while simultaneously detecting marine mammals.

  • Harbour Security

    The successful detection and tracking of sources of underwater noise are of particular interest for both the monitoring of marine life, as well as for reducing potential threats to port and harbour security. The use of passive acoustics is a cost-effective solution to the monitoring of unidentified underwater targets, whether hostile, friendly or purely environmental.

    Underwater acoustics is used in the interest of having an undetectable surveillance system. A common method used for passive acoustics in the detection and tracking of targets is the utilization of hydrophones, hydrophone arrays, and radio buoys. If real-time data is needed the Ocean Sonics GSM Radio Buoy can supply instrument power and a link if cables are not possible. This link sends hydrophone data over the Internet to the user’s desktop.