Euronews OCEAN Season 5, Episode 6 – Underwater sound

The ocean is not a world of silence; underwater spaces are filled with a variety of sounds, both natural and artificial. Some of these underwater noises, such as those associated with shipping or the industrial development of the seabed, pose a growing threat to animals that heavily rely on acoustics. Over the past decade, bioacousticians have discovered increasing evidence that noise pollution impacts the entire food web of the ocean, from microscopic plankton, plants, and invertebrates to cetaceans and other marine mammals.

In this episode, we delve into the work of scientists who are exploring the natural richness of ocean sounds in France, Spain, and Germany. In Bretagne, we accompany bioacousticians as they capture underwater soundscapes as part of the BIOcean5D project. In Catalonia, we visit the Laboratory of Applied Bio-Acoustics (LAB), which has developed an EU-funded network of acoustic sensors for the LIDO project. These sensors have been deployed on a global scale to enable real-time monitoring of noise pollution. Finally, we conclude our story in Germany, where researchers are studying the impacts of shipping noise on the local seal population and working on technological solutions to reduce noise emitted by cargo vessels (SATURN project).

OCEAN is a Euronews magazine in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE). It features monthly 8-minute videos, where we discover fascinating projects and developments related to the ocean and coastal communities.

Broadcast since 2019, OCEAN features episodes on marine protected areas, small-scale fisheries, ocean energy, aquaculture, IUU fishing, sustainable fisheries and much more. Missed one? Check them out on the Euronews website! You will also find some nice extras about these topics.

Share on social media, tag @EU_MARE and @euronews and use the hashtag #oceanEU