Pikslo deep diving / underwater interception of the nordic sea

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Pikslo_deep_diving / underwater interception of the nordic sea

DIWO open lab, DIY biologie, DIY Chemistry, DIY hydrophone

Keywords:

sonification, sound pollution, underwater sound, underwater sound pollution, anthropogenic

influence on the sea life, hydrophone, sonar, field recording, electromagnetic polution

(internet cables in water), acoustic ecology, seafaring, animals, fish, jellyfish, nordic sea, DIY

biologie, DIY chemistry, anthropocene


Collaborators ­ team:

Robertina Šebjanič (SI), Kat Austen (UK/DE), Slavko Glamočanin (SI), Gjino Šutić

(CRO), Piksel team (main organiser)

+

associated partner / mentor of the DIY bio workshop Cristian Delgado

Workshop / project:

During the 5 day work intense inter ­ disciplinary research of four main mentors and

collaborators did open the process of the exploration of the context of DIY biologie, DIY

chemistry and sound. An DIY laboratory in the context of the Piksel festival was the main eirviroment for the workshop.

We did spend time out on the field trips to

the fjords and surroundings in Bergen, to collect needed data.

Introduction to Research / To main topic of the research has been:

- underwater sound polution

- microplastic polution

Concept & context

When we look up to sky and look into the space and wonder about what is up there, we

sometime forget, that there is a lot still also to explore on the planet we live.

We know more about the space than we know about the world’s seas and oceans,

especially about the sound perception underwater.

People are not so aware of the vibrant underwater acoustic of sounds of the deepness of

ocean, except for the crash of a wave against a land. Whales, shrimp, seals, dolphins, and a

variety of other creatures of the deep live in a watery acoustical ­ sonic environment. The

arrival of steamships and other human­made interventions into the ocean soundscape has

contributed disturbing noise to this rich soundscape.

The workshop / project encourage an inter­relationship between sound, nature, and

society, as a starting point for the rethinking of the possible developed of nicer sonic

environments for the animals living in the world's oceans and sea’s.

The underwater sound pollution is the reality of recent development and industrialization

reflecting on the sea.

Especially the upper level of the seas ­ where there is most of the living in the seas and

independent by the level of the sonic pollution in the sea. We would also try to research the

deep sea level to understand what is happening there.

World seas and oceans are presenting more than 70% of surface of Earth.

97% of it is saltwater, 2% is fresh water in the form of ice and only the remaining 1% is

drinking water, which is distributed around the planet very unevenly.

The exploration of any ecosystem requires detailed study and observation. The ocean is the

complex, challenging, and harsh environment on Earth and accessing it requires specially

designed tools and technology. It has only been within the last 50 years that technology has

advanced to the point that we can examine the ocean in a systematic, scientific, and non

Pikslo_deep_diving // Context & concept of the workshop / research:

by Robertina Šebjanič (SI), Kat Austen (UK/D), Slavko Glamočanin(SI), Gjino Šutić (CRO)

invasive way. Our ability to observe the ocean environment and its resident creatures has

finally caught up with our imaginations and helping us to understand it also in the ways that

we did not imagine them before.

Already back at the renaissance 1490 Leonardo da Vinci observed how the sound of ships

travelled long distances underwater. The sound of ships in the 15th century included the

noise of rudders and rigging, oars and the handling of cargo. Seafaring, while not in its

infancy, was a “life driven” technology; the power of wind and human muscle generated the

only anthropogenic noises in the sea. Over the next 400 years, acoustic technology at sea

involved innovations such as underwater bells and whistling buoys on submerged rocks and

reefs to warn navigators and captains away from marine hazards. With the advent of steam

powered engines, the quality and level of noise began to shift dramatically. With the ability to

navigate to, and develop the far reaches of the globe, the use of dynamite and diesel driven

pile drivers began transforming the soundscape of coastal waters worldwide. Once the

mechanization of seafaring and coastal civil engineering took hold, ocean noise began

increasing exponentially” * (from the Soundscape The Journal of Acoustic Ecology​) and

it started to overtake also the sound scape environment of the animals.


useful links

Information about the seas in Norway can be found:

a ​https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/nordic­seas/​


Some of references and interesting readings for the context of the workshop:

from the referential journal: Soundscape The Journal of Acoustic Ecology and

NOAA’s

Marine Life

The sounds produced by marine animals are many and varied. Marine mammals, such as

blue whales and harbor porpoise, produce sounds over a wide frequency range, from less

than 10 Hz to over 100,000 Hz, depending on the species of marine mammal. Many fish,

such as the oyster toadfish and plainfin midshipman, and some marine invertebrates, such

as snapping shrimp, also produce sounds. Marine animals use sound to obtain detailed

information about their surroundings. They rely on sound to communicate, navigate, and

feed. Marine mammals, such as dolphins, use sound to locate and identify objects such as

food, obstacles, and other whales. By emitting clicks, or short pulses of sound, and listening

to the echo, dolphins can detect individual prey and navigate around objects underwater.

from the ​http://www.dosits.org/science/soundsinthesea/commonsounds/


Cnidaria ­ jellyfish hearing under the water

At present there is still a dearth of research and understanding about how Cnidaria—with

their ancient evolutionary history— actually perceive and adapt to their environment through

acoustic energy and vibration, and how this has enabled them to survive over the eons

despite their ‘simplicity.’

Marine mammal calls can actually increase ambient noise levels by 20­25 underwater dB in

some locations at certain times of year. Blue and fin whales produce low­frequency moans

at frequencies of 10­25 Hz with estimated source levels of up to 190 underwater dB at 1 m.

The ambient noise levels at frequencies of 17­20 Hz increase off coastal California during

the fall and winter months due to blue and fin whale calls.

from the Soundscape The Journal of Acoustic Ecology

http://wfae.proscenia.net/journal/scape_6.pdf


Animal Sound Perception and Production Modes

From the preceding it is clear that many sea animals use sound in a variety of ways. Some

animals use sound passively, others actively. Passive use of sound occurs when the animal

does not create the sound that it senses, but responds to environmental and ambient

sounds. These uses include: 1. Detection of predators. 2. Location and detection of prey. 3.

Proximity perception of co­species in school, raft or colony. 4. Navigation—either local or

global. 5. Perception of changing environmental conditions such as seismic movement, tides

and currents. 6. Detection of food sources and feeding of other animals. 7. “Acoustic

illumination” akin to daylight vision. Active use of sound occurs when the animal creates a

sound to interact with their environment or other animals in it. Active uses include: 1. Sonic

communication with co­species for breeding. 2. Sonic communication with co­species for

feeding, including notification and guidance of others to food sources. 3. Territorial and

social relations. 4. Echolocation. 5. Stunning and apprehending prey. 6. Alarm calls used to

notify other creatures of the approach of enemies. 7. Long distance navigation and mapping.

8. Use of sound as a defense against predators. 9. Use of sound when seized by a predator

(perhaps to startle the predator).

from the Soundscape The Journal of Acoustic Ecology

http://wfae.proscenia.net/journal/scape_6.pdf