Art meets science in ‘The Floating Hydrophone Project’

Soundscapes is very excited to announce that we are supporting Dr Olaf Meynecke in his research to deploy a mobile underwater microphone to travel down the East Coast to record sound during the southern whale migration in September.  This is a world-first approach that has never been done before!

 This will allow researchers and the public to monitor marine life and ecosystems while the recorder is silently drifting with the ocean currents.  And, most importantly, it can be done without disturbing the natural behaviours of the animals in the environment.

 It can be used to understand the behaviour and communication of marine animals, seasonal changes and environmental health. By analysing sound patterns, researchers can study mating calls, feeding habits, social interactions, and responses to environmental changes.

Data will be transmitted and live-streamed via the mobile network.  This should make listening from the most populated regions along the coast possible. It will cost at least $5000 to fund this project. 

You can find out more about Dr Olaf Meynecke and his research here:

https://whalesandclimate.org and https://www.hhr.org.au

They will also need volunteers with boats to help and be available to take the hydrophone back out to sea if it drifts too close to the coastline and enthusiastic citizen scientists who want to spread the word.  

If you would like to be a part of this exciting journey, then please email hello@soundscapes.audio so we can help set up your involvement in the project.