2019_programme: OCEAN GLIDERS AS A PLATFORM FOR PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING OF THE ENVIRONMENT: APPLICATIONS TO WIND SPEED MEASUREMENTS AND MONITORING OF THE MARINE LIFE.

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  • Session: 14. Environmental acoustics and noise
    Organiser(s): Barclay David
  • Lecture: OCEAN GLIDERS AS A PLATFORM FOR PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING OF THE ENVIRONMENT: APPLICATIONS TO WIND SPEED MEASUREMENTS AND MONITORING OF THE MARINE LIFE. [invited]
    Paper ID: 898
    Author(s): Cauchy Pierre, Heywood Karen, Queste Bastien, Merchant Nathan, Risch Denise, Testor Pierre
    Presenter: Cauchy Pierre
    Presentation type: oral
    Abstract: Ocean gliders are Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, carrying sensors to monitor the ocean. They perform long autonomous missions, providing high resolution hydrographic profiles. Gliders are not propelled, they use buoyancy variations to glide in the water column, which makes them extremely quiet and therefore very suitable for Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM). \nWe adapted the Weather Observation Through Ambient Noise technique for application to gliders, demonstrating the ability to estimate surface wind speed from the underwater ambient noise recorded from a glider. The gliders recorded data during high wind speed events that allowed to propose a new relationship between the wind speed at 10 m and the ambient noise level, validating a previous model for light winds (below 12 m/s) and extending its validity range to strong winds of up to 21.5 m/s. This novel method for measuring surface wind speed will improve the quantification of air-sea fluxes, providing in-situ measurements in remote locations or adverse weather conditions. \nWe broaden the observation spectrum of the gliders, demonstrating how such recordings of the underwater soundscape can be used to monitor the marine life. We were able to detect and classify echolocation clicks produced by sperm whales and map their distribution in the NW Mediterranean Sea, using oceanographic glider mission from the Mediterranean Ocean Observing System for the Environment and the REP14-MED experiment. This ability to quantify marine mammal presence from opportunistic glider campaigns will increase the coverage of the usual survey methods and reduce their bias.\nWe gathered evidence that the use of PAM gliders enables a wide range of non-invasive observations of the sea surface conditions, the marine life and the anthropogenic contribution to the marine noise. The various applications to physical oceanography, biology, ecology and regulations will enhance interactions between the scientific communities and allow comprehensive monitoring of areas of interest.
  • Corresponding author: Mr Cauchy Pierre
    Affiliation: University of East Anglia
    Country: United Kingdom
    e-mail:

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