Passive Acoustic Data Collection

The collection and analysis of passive acoustic data supports research into the soundscape of marine environments. Primary uses include detecting and characterizing sounds produced and used by living marine resources, natural sources of noise from physical oceanographic processes, and anthropogenic noise sources that contribute to the overall ocean noise environment. This analysis supports a wide range of activities including marine mammal stock assessments, monitoring of earthquake and geological activity, and assessing impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine life. The goal of this collection is to steward an accessible national archive of passive acoustic data available to researchers and the public, and to assist NOAA in meeting their data management and accessibility requirements.