Research: A catalogue of aquatic sounds
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Passive acoustic technology—the use of underwater technology to listen to sounds in the aquatic environment—is a new field in fisheries science and marine biology. Passive acoustics can be used to listen for fish populations and sources of noise pollution in order to monitor the impact of human activity on marine environments. For several years, The River Project has used this technology to capture and identify sounds in New York Harbor. These sounds were captured using a drop hydrophone at various locations around the edge of Pier 26 and Pier 40 on the lower Hudson River. The audio feed was observed live through a set of earphones, recorded digitally, and uploaded to a computer for further analysis. This study was to create a general catalogue of sounds—biological and non-biological—to help build an online library of identifiable noise producers in New York waters.
The sounds presented are shown in two sections:
1) Biological sounds (anthropogenic and environmental)
2) Non-biological sounds (fish and unknown, but possibly biological origin)
The most recognizable fish to produce sound at our locations are the oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau (click to listen) and the cusk eel, Ophidium marginatum (click to listen). Anthropogenic sources include noise generated by boating and shipping activity (click to listen), sonar and construction activities. Each sound file catalogued is accompanied with a photograph when possible, along with a spectrogram and waveform. The spectrogram depicts a given sound recorded by hydrophone by showing the intensity of different frequencies in the sound over time. Intensity is indicated by color. The waveform plots amplitude against time.
This research was conducted with the help of Dr. Rodney Rountree. For more great underwater sounds and information visit his website at www.fishecology.org/soniferous/soniferous.htm.
For more information on The River Project's bioacoustic research please email J.T. Boehm at jt@riverproject.org.
The sounds presented are shown in two sections:
1) Biological sounds (anthropogenic and environmental)
2) Non-biological sounds (fish and unknown, but possibly biological origin)
The most recognizable fish to produce sound at our locations are the oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau (click to listen) and the cusk eel, Ophidium marginatum (click to listen). Anthropogenic sources include noise generated by boating and shipping activity (click to listen), sonar and construction activities. Each sound file catalogued is accompanied with a photograph when possible, along with a spectrogram and waveform. The spectrogram depicts a given sound recorded by hydrophone by showing the intensity of different frequencies in the sound over time. Intensity is indicated by color. The waveform plots amplitude against time.
This research was conducted with the help of Dr. Rodney Rountree. For more great underwater sounds and information visit his website at www.fishecology.org/soniferous/soniferous.htm.
For more information on The River Project's bioacoustic research please email J.T. Boehm at jt@riverproject.org.