Soundscape monitoring in monterey bay 

Passive acoustic monitoring provides a window into the ocean world using the medium (sound) that most of the animals there rely upon. We almost always learn new and interesting things about the ocean simply by listening to it - effectively evaluating ocean health and vibrancy through an acoustic stethoscope. Monitoring systems can involve recorders that are remotely deployed and recovered sometime later or more sophisticated systems can involve real-time transmission of data to monitoring stations. 

Through partnerships with other research and conservation organizations, COA is conducting soundscape monitoring around the world. Collaborative research with scientists at Stanford University has resulted in acoustic monitoring of Monterey Bay with drifting acoustic sensors over key marine mammal habitats. A new and exciting research collaboration being lead by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has tapped into an existing fiber-optic observation system to link real-time acoustic monitoring of the Bay, with a number of timely and important results. In addition to these local soundscape monitoring efforts, COA partners are working with researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society on soundscape monitoring and marine mammal distribution studies using passive acoustics in studying critically important habitats near the Bering Strait in Alaska.