An introduction to the acoustical oceanography technical committee

Abstract

Commonly used air-side remote sensing techniques (e.g., cameras, GPS, wireless communications, and radar) are not suitable for many oceanographic applications because seawater is opaque to electromagnetic radiation. Acoustic signals, on the other hand, propagate relatively well underwater and can be used for remote sensing, imaging, and communications. The Acoustical Oceanography (AO) technical committee (TC) focuses on the development and use of acoustical techniques to understand geological, biological, chemical, and physical oceanographic parameters and processes. Research falling under the auspices of the AO technical committee is inherently interdisciplinary, overlapping with the Animal Bioacoustics, Signal Processing, and Underwater Acoustics technical committees. This presentation will introduce current AO research topics and the ways in which acoustical oceanography is advancing our knowledge of the ocean and its boundaries.