Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2025

Continuous-Wave Propagation Channel-Sounding Measurement System - Testing, Verification, and Measurements
Published on: June 25, 2021
Comparing pre-industrial and modern ocean noise levels in the Santa Barbara Channel
Vanessa M ZoBell1, John A Hildebrand1, Kaitlin E Frasier1
1Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Abstract:
To understand the extent of anthropogenic noise in the ocean, it is essential to compare the differences between modern noise environments and their pre-industrial equivalents. The Santa Barbara Channel, off the coast of Southern California, is a corridor for the transportation of goods to and from the busiest shipping ports in the Western hemisphere. Commercial ships introduce high levels of underwater noise into the marine environment. To quantify the extent of noise in the region, we modeled pre-industrial ocean noise levels, driven by wind, and modern ocean noise levels, resulting from the presence of both ships and wind. By comparing pre-industrial and modern underwater noise levels, the low-frequency (50 Hz) acoustic environment was found to be degraded by more than 15 dB. These results can be used to identify regions for noise reduction efforts, as well as to model scenarios to identify those with the greatest potential to support marine conservation efforts.
More Related Videos
11:19Measuring Carbon-based Contaminant Mineralization Using Combined CO2 Flux and Radiocarbon Analyses
Published on: October 21, 2016
07:13Modified Experimental Conditions for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Mice and Assessment of Hearing Function and Outer Hair Cell Damage
Published on: February 10, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Sound Intensity Level
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and...
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
Sound Waves: Interference
Deriving the Speed of Sound in a Liquid
The speed of sound in fluids can be derived by considering a mechanical wave...
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
Interference and Superposition of Waves
Interference occurs in mechanical waves, such as sound waves, waves on a string, and surface water waves. Mechanical waves correspond to the physical displacement of particles. Hence,...