"We will analyse the continuous stream of acoustic data to understand the challenges facing the oceans today and to help the scientific community and public authorities to promote more responsible practices," says Michel André. The scientific interest stems from the need to better understand the impact of the perception of these sounds on the behaviour, physiology and ecology of marine organisms. The degree to which these sounds affect marine life is an issue that is currently of great interest and concern to the scientific community and society in general.
The marine environment is full of natural sounds but the steady growth of human noise has contributed to increasing sound levels in the oceans. The images and sounds that are recorded will be uploaded directly to the website of the Expedition and will be publicly available.Ģ0,000 Sounds under the Sea is an unprecedented scientific programme that will contribute to mapping noise pollution in the oceans. The system will supply real-time sounds and images taken with onboard underwater cameras to researchers at the LAB, which is linked to the Vilanova i la Geltrú School of Engineering (EPSEVG) and is located on the Vilanova UPC campus. The hydrophone system of 20,000 Sounds under the Sea will detect and automatically classify all sounds of natural or human origin along the route the Fleur de Passion sailing ship takes around the world. "For the first time, a ship will be permanently equipped with the latest sensor technology, which will allow us to map ocean noise on a scale never seen before," says Michel André, director of the UPC's Applied Bioacoustics Laboratory.