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DURHAM, N.H.-- An international development team, led by researchers at the University of New Hampshire, has released a user-friendly software program they created that can process sound data collected from the world's oceans in a more standardized format that will enhance research and collaboration and help understand the global sea soundscape dynamics, including the impact of COVID-19 when travel and economic slowdowns put a halt to human activities in the ocean.
"Soundscape analysis can be important in detecting and interpreting changes in ocean ecosystems," said Jennifer Miksis-Olds, research professor and director of UNH's Center for Acoustics Research and Education. "Sound is the dominant sensory mode for marine life and humans for sensing the underwater environment, so understanding how the background ocean sound levels are changing will provide insight into how sensory systems (both biological and electronic) are impacted."