Acoustic Systems for Global Observatory Studies

The potential role of acoustics in a conceptual network of observatories designed to study processes occurring at the global scale is outlined. Power and data transmission aspects of observatories may transform the use of acoustical data in many oceanographic disciplines. Three acoustic measurement techniques suitable for ocean observatories are discussed: long-range positioning, tomography/thermometry, and passive listening. The data returned from these three applications, which can share much infrastructure, can be used for climate, biological, geological, and biogeochemical studies. Acoustics can be used as an engineering tool, such as for platform navigation or for measuring heat content. In addition to that use, sound generation, propagation, and scattering are important components of the natural undersea world, with many biological and geophysical phenomena contributing to the sonic environment in exploitable ways