While the COVID-19 lockdown may have quieted life on land, a recent study from the University of New Hampshire found that the Atlantic Ocean was just as lively as ever further offshore. Contrary to earlier reports of quieter coastal waters during that same timeframe, researchers discovered that there was no discernible shift in the underwater soundscape of the continental shelf during the year 2020.
According to Jennifer Miksis-Olds, research professor and head of UNH’s Center for Acoustic Research and Education, “it’s fascinating that oceans are so dynamic and variable; different regions really have different personalities based on the natural and human interactions that happen within those waters.”
Researchers focused on seven offshore locations that span the Outer Continental Shelf from Virginia to Florida in their study, which was recently published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Express Letters. These locations were where hydrophones had been deployed on the seabed in 2017 and then retrieved in 2021 as part of UNH’s Atlantic Deepwater Ecosystem Observatory Network. The data showed that whereas commercial shipping vessel noise decreased, noise from other types of vessels, such as fishing boats and pleasure ships, increased. Overall, there isn’t much of a variation in the undersea soundscape between 45 and 280 miles from the coast.
Being able to compare years of data prior to COVID-19 lockdown directly was made possible by having that long-term time series, according to Miksis-Olds. This research offers a different viewpoint on whether COVID-19 had an impact on the deep oceans or not because acoustic recordings in coastal waters are more common.
Researchers admit that the results are in stark contrast to those of earlier research that was concentrated on seas nearer the shoreline, but they stress that it is crucial to look at all parts of the ocean environment before drawing any conclusions.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Office of Naval Research, and NOAA collaborated to fund the research.
In our state, country, and world, the University of New Hampshire fosters innovation and transforms lives. In more than 200 areas of study, more than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 nations interact with a distinguished faculty in highly regarded business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts, and scientific programs. In order to further study and define the boundaries of land, sea, and space, UNH—a Carnegie Classification R1 institution—partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF, and NIH and won $260 million in externally competitive funding in FY21.
