Sound Overview Teams Projects Publications Latest News Technologies Data The ocean soundscape is a continuously changing mosaic of sounds that originate from living organisms, natural processes, and human activities. Listening to sound in the sea is a rich exploration of the marine environment that even reveals some of the ways human activities may influence marine life.Acoustics—the study of the properties of sound—allows researchers to “see” animal movements and locations, providing another dimension to our observations of life in the ocean. MBARI researchers are using both established and novel technologies to listen to the ocean soundscape and collect a trove of acoustic data. From a deep-sea hydrophone listening continuously to the underwater soundscape to acoustic technologies attached to underwater robots, MBARI researchers are using sound to study marine life in new and exciting ways.These teams and projects are changing how we observe marine animals and communities by using diverse technologies to listen to the sounds of the ocean. Read More Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Teams All Teams Control, Modeling, and Perception of Autonomous Systems Laboratory Team Control, Modeling, and Perception of Autonomous Systems Laboratory The Control, Modeling, Perception for Autonomous Systems (CoMPAS) Laboratory aims to develop and transfer technology for making ocean exploration more accessible and widespread, and to help answer several questions that remain open about our planet. Acoustical Ocean Ecology Team Acoustical Ocean Ecology The Acoustical Ocean Ecology Group uses active acoustics, or sonar, to investigate how animals respond to constantly changing environments. Ocean Soundscape Team Ocean Soundscape Exploring natural and anthropogenic sound in the ocean to advance marine ecology and inform stewardship of the sea. Projects All Projects Baleen Whale Behavioral Ecology Team Baleen Whale Behavioral Ecology Integrating passive acoustic monitoring of baleen whales with other methods of observing whales, their environment, and their prey. Blue Whale Observatory Team Blue Whale Observatory Exploring the behavioral ecology of Earth’s largest animal species—the blue whale—and the krill that sustain them. Ocean Noise Team Ocean Noise Anthropogenic noise can have far reaching effects on the health of marine life. This project examines anthropogenic noise in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Open Acoustic Data Team Open Acoustic Data Enabling global open access to MBARI’s passive acoustic monitoring data and associated analysis tools, through a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Public Exhibits Team Public Exhibits Enriching public education about the ocean soundscape through resident and mobile exhibit deployment. Soundscape Listening Room Team Soundscape Listening Room Access a live stream and a library of sounds recorded using a hydrophone (underwater microphone) off the Central California coast. Acoustic Fingerprinting Team Acoustic Fingerprinting Matching acoustic signatures to animals by cataloging the signatures of organisms like fish, squid, and gelatinous creatures. Acoustic Community Ecology Team Acoustic Community Ecology Acoustical analysis of different layers of animals in our ocean. Publications All Publications Zhang, Y., B. Kieft, B.W. Hobson, B.Y. Raanan, S. Urmy, K.J. Pitz, C.M. Preston, B. Roman, K.J. Benoit-Bird, J.M. Birch, F.P. Chavez, and C.A. Scholin. 2021. Persistent sampling of vertically migrating biological layers by an autonomous underwater vehicle within the beam of a seabed-mounted echosounder. IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 46: 497–508. https://doi.org/10.1109/JOE.2020.2982811 Benoit-Bird, K.J., and C.M. Waluk. 2021. Remote acoustic detection and characterization of fish schooling behavior. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 150: 4329–4342. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0007485 Urmy, S.S., and K.J. Benoit-Bird. 2021. Fear dynamically structures the ocean’s pelagic zone. Current Biology, 31: 5086–5092.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.003 Hoving, H.J.T., W.F. Gilly, U. Markaida, K.J. Benoit-Bird, Z.W. Brown, P. Daniel, J.C. Field, L. Parassenti, B. Liu, and B. Campos. 2013. Extreme plasticity in life-history strategy allows a migratory predator (jumbo squid) to cope with a changing climate. Global Change Biology, 19: 2089–2103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12198 Sullivan, J.M., M.A. McManus, O.M. Cheriton, K.J. Benoit-Bird, L. Goodman, Z. Wang, J. Ryan, M. Stacey, D.V. Holliday, C. Greenlaw, M.A. Moline, and M. McFarland. 2010. Layered organization in the coastal ocean: An introduction to planktonic thin layers and the LOCO project. Continental Shelf Research, 30: 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2009.09.001 Latest News All News News MBARI and Grace Cathedral partner on sound bath showcasing the ocean soundscape Behind the Scenes 04.20.23 News Sound provides new insight into the lives of blue whales News 02.17.22 News MBARI shares trove of acoustic data on the Amazon Web Services cloud Press Release 10.11.21 Technologies All Technologies Instrument Directional Hydrophone Technology Directional Hydrophone The Directional Hydrophone samples sound at a much lower rate than the MARS omnidirectional hydrophone of the Ocean Soundscape Project. Data All Data Data Passive Acoustic Data MBARI makes its acoustic data sets available through a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Data Soundscape Visual Browser MBARI's audio recordings have been translated into visual representations as spectrograms, which can be viewed hour-by-hour, day-by-day
Control, Modeling, and Perception of Autonomous Systems Laboratory Team Control, Modeling, and Perception of Autonomous Systems Laboratory The Control, Modeling, Perception for Autonomous Systems (CoMPAS) Laboratory aims to develop and transfer technology for making ocean exploration more accessible and widespread, and to help answer several questions that remain open about our planet.
Acoustical Ocean Ecology Team Acoustical Ocean Ecology The Acoustical Ocean Ecology Group uses active acoustics, or sonar, to investigate how animals respond to constantly changing environments.
Ocean Soundscape Team Ocean Soundscape Exploring natural and anthropogenic sound in the ocean to advance marine ecology and inform stewardship of the sea.
Baleen Whale Behavioral Ecology Team Baleen Whale Behavioral Ecology Integrating passive acoustic monitoring of baleen whales with other methods of observing whales, their environment, and their prey.
Blue Whale Observatory Team Blue Whale Observatory Exploring the behavioral ecology of Earth’s largest animal species—the blue whale—and the krill that sustain them.
Ocean Noise Team Ocean Noise Anthropogenic noise can have far reaching effects on the health of marine life. This project examines anthropogenic noise in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Open Acoustic Data Team Open Acoustic Data Enabling global open access to MBARI’s passive acoustic monitoring data and associated analysis tools, through a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Public Exhibits Team Public Exhibits Enriching public education about the ocean soundscape through resident and mobile exhibit deployment.
Soundscape Listening Room Team Soundscape Listening Room Access a live stream and a library of sounds recorded using a hydrophone (underwater microphone) off the Central California coast.
Acoustic Fingerprinting Team Acoustic Fingerprinting Matching acoustic signatures to animals by cataloging the signatures of organisms like fish, squid, and gelatinous creatures.
Acoustic Community Ecology Team Acoustic Community Ecology Acoustical analysis of different layers of animals in our ocean.
Zhang, Y., B. Kieft, B.W. Hobson, B.Y. Raanan, S. Urmy, K.J. Pitz, C.M. Preston, B. Roman, K.J. Benoit-Bird, J.M. Birch, F.P. Chavez, and C.A. Scholin. 2021. Persistent sampling of vertically migrating biological layers by an autonomous underwater vehicle within the beam of a seabed-mounted echosounder. IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, 46: 497–508. https://doi.org/10.1109/JOE.2020.2982811
Benoit-Bird, K.J., and C.M. Waluk. 2021. Remote acoustic detection and characterization of fish schooling behavior. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 150: 4329–4342. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0007485
Urmy, S.S., and K.J. Benoit-Bird. 2021. Fear dynamically structures the ocean’s pelagic zone. Current Biology, 31: 5086–5092.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.003
Hoving, H.J.T., W.F. Gilly, U. Markaida, K.J. Benoit-Bird, Z.W. Brown, P. Daniel, J.C. Field, L. Parassenti, B. Liu, and B. Campos. 2013. Extreme plasticity in life-history strategy allows a migratory predator (jumbo squid) to cope with a changing climate. Global Change Biology, 19: 2089–2103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12198
Sullivan, J.M., M.A. McManus, O.M. Cheriton, K.J. Benoit-Bird, L. Goodman, Z. Wang, J. Ryan, M. Stacey, D.V. Holliday, C. Greenlaw, M.A. Moline, and M. McFarland. 2010. Layered organization in the coastal ocean: An introduction to planktonic thin layers and the LOCO project. Continental Shelf Research, 30: 1–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2009.09.001
News MBARI and Grace Cathedral partner on sound bath showcasing the ocean soundscape Behind the Scenes 04.20.23
Instrument Directional Hydrophone Technology Directional Hydrophone The Directional Hydrophone samples sound at a much lower rate than the MARS omnidirectional hydrophone of the Ocean Soundscape Project.
Data Passive Acoustic Data MBARI makes its acoustic data sets available through a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Data Soundscape Visual Browser MBARI's audio recordings have been translated into visual representations as spectrograms, which can be viewed hour-by-hour, day-by-day