EventA Los Alamos National Laboratory hydrophone 500 m beneath the Beaufort Sea has been recording underwater sound for seven years, producing a long‑term acoustic baseline. By charting seasonal differences brought on by ice, waves, and human‑made noise, the study helps distinguish normal Arctic sound from events such as earthquakes, explosions or shipping traffic.
A hydrophone 500 m beneath the Beaufort Sea has recorded underwater sounds for seven years, creating a rare long‑term acoustic reference for the Arctic. Researchers say the recordings reveal seasonal noise from ice and waves, while cataloguing human‑made sounds from seismic surveys, offering a baseline to discern unusual events such as earthquakes or ship traffic.
Los Alamos National Laboratory has created a seven‑year acoustic baseline of the Beaufort Sea’s underwater soundscape, improving detection of seismic, detonation, ship traffic and other events.
Scientists are mapping changing Arctic sounds to strengthen global monitoring, responding to sea ice loss, new shipping routes, and heightened geopolitical competition.
Los Alamos scientists mapped the Arctic underwater soundscape to enhance detection of earthquakes, detonations, and ship traffic.
