Abstract
Changes in the ocean soundscape have been driven by anthropogenic activity (e.g., naval-sonar systems, seismic-exploration activity, maritime shipping and windfarm development) and by natural factors (e.g., climate change and ocean acidification). New regulatory initiatives have placed additional restrictions on uses of sound in the ocean: mitigation of marine-mammal endangerment is now an integral consideration in acoustic-system design and operation. Modeling tools traditionally used in underwater acoustics have undergone a necessary transformation to respond to the rapidly changing requirements imposed by this new soundscape. Advanced modeling techniques now include forward and inverse applications, integrated-modeling approaches, nonintrusive measurements, and novel processing methods. A 32-year baseline inventory of modeling techniques has been updated to reflect these new developments including the basic mathematics and references to the key literature. Charts have been provided to guide soundscape practitioners to the most efficient modeling techniques for any given application.
Highlights
Over the past several decades, the soundscape of the marine environment has responded to changes in both natural and anthropogenic influences
Underwater networks consist of variable numbers of sensors and vehicles deployed in concert to perform collaborative monitoring tasks over a given area
This paper has reviewed changes in the ocean soundscape, changes that have been driven by both anthropogenic activity and natural factors
Summary
Over the past several decades, the soundscape of the marine environment has responded to changes in both natural and anthropogenic influences. The idea of a soundscape refers to both the natural acoustic environment (consisting of natural sounds including animal vocalizations, the sounds of weather, and other natural elements) and anthropogenic sounds (created by humans) including sounds of mechanical origin associated with the use of industrial technology. The disruption of the natural acoustic environment results in noise pollution. The field of underwater acoustics enables us to observe quantitatively and predict the behavior of this soundscape and the response of the natural acoustic environment to noise pollution. Prognostic applications include prediction and forecasting functions where future oceanic conditions or acoustic sensor performance must be anticipated. The challenges of managing the underwater soundscape are being met by enabling technologies and by emerging solutions.
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